The Slightest Bit of Happiness
by amthyst-fire
Summary: After saving the Chancellor from the Evil Count Dooku, Obi Wan sends Anakin off with the politicians, and goes home, when he senses a bright flare of happiness from his former Padawan. He has no idea what he's getting into when he asks Anakin about it.
1. The Happiest Moment of his Life

Obi-Wan nearly kissed the ground as he got out of the ship. "Are you coming, Master?" Anakin asked him.

_You'll not get me into the spotlight willingly._ "Oh, no. I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report to the Council. Besides, someone needs to be the poster boy." He said, hating to foist that burden off onto his friend, but understanding its necessity.

"Hold on, this whole operation was your idea. You planned it. You led the rescue operation. You have to be the one to take the bows this time," Anakin said, clearly unhappy with the prospect of having all that attention on him.

"Sorry, old friend. Let us not forget that you rescued me from the Buzz Droids. And you killed Count Dooku. And you rescued the Chancellor, carrying me unconscious on your back, and you managed to land that bucket of bolts safely…" Obi-Wan trailed off, hating that he was feeding Anakin's ego, when it was already big enough as it was.

"All because of your training, Master. You deserve all those speeches of your greatness." _How I wish I believed him. _

"The endless speeches. Anakin, let's be fair. Today, you are the hero and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians." He really wasn't ready to spend the day being happy for cameras.

"All right. But you owe me, and not for saving your skin for the tenth time," he finally relented.

"Ninth time, that business on Cato Nemoidia doesn't count. I'll see you at the briefing." He smiled, but it was one of those that he'd seen more and more often on his former Padawan's face, one that said that he really was dying inside but couldn't show it.

He headed for the Temple, for home. An air taxi picked him up, depositing him on the public landing platform. He was happy to be there, really happy, and he felt jubilation from Anakin as well. _What could Anakin be happy about, I wonder?_ He slipped quietly into a light meditation, hoping that whatever good news that Anakin had gotten, would be something that he wanted to share. It wasn't something that happened that often anymore, but he had hope. He couldn't sense what it was that had Anakin so happy, for he was that, but he was also frightened, slightly panicked, amazed and excited. _How peculiar. _

After he'd eaten dinner, he called his friend, his brother. "Anakin, I know you're probably basking in the adoration of the Chancellor, or some such thing, but I'd like to take some time to talk tonight, if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you."

Anakin was clearly torn. He looked up, away from the screen for a moment. "I don't see any problem with that, Obi-Wan, but does it need to be tonight?"

"Well," he conceded, "It could wait, but I hardly get to see you, when we're not up to our eyeballs in something."

Something made him smile. "Alright, Master, I'll come see you."

Satisfied, he cut the transmission, and went to get tea ready, rummaging through the little packets until he'd found Anakin's favorite.

* * *

"Anakin, I know you're probably basking in the adoration of the Chancellor, or some such thing, but I'd like to take some time to talk tonight, if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you."

Anakin was torn. He looked up at Padmé, who was standing out of sight 'Go ahead' she mouthed to him. "I don't see any problem with that, Obi-Wan, but does it need to be tonight?"

"Well," he conceded, "It could wait, but I hardly get to see you, when we're not up to our eyeballs in something."

He smiled, knowing that Padmé was right—they should have plenty of time together later. "Alright, Master, I'll come see you."

He waited until the transmission dropped totally. "I wonder what he wants. That's not like Obi-Wan, to call me, unless it's something important."

"He probably wants to let you get out of all the stuffy meetings with all the stuffy senators, if you need to, that's all." Padmé told him, "He cares for you, Anakin."

"At this moment I'd prefer for him to have been slightly less caring." He said, catching her up in a hug. "I love you. I'll be back tonight if I can."

She kissed him passionately, as though he were water, and she'd been three days in the desert. "Go, now, before we get too caught up, and forget."

"Alright," he said, and he hopped into his speeder, and headed for the temple. He let the cool night air wash him clean of the better part of his emotions, it wouldn't do to have Obi-Wan see him quite like that. He landed, having mostly lost the high emotions that had carried him through until that point. He realized just how tired he was, but he was determined not to let that bother him, and headed for Obi-Wan's Quarters.

* * *

"Anakin, I am delighted that you could tear yourself away from whoever had your attention."

"I always have time for you, Master." He stifled a yawn, but not before Obi-Wan caught it.

"Come on, let's go have some tea," he said ushering Anakin into the common area.

Sitting down, Anakin took his cup of tea, and they sat and talked for nearly an hour, before Anakin's body simply shut down on him. _Dear Force we've been running the boy ragged. _He suddenly felt the shear exhaustion that had taken Anakin hitting him, as well. _Not that I'm much better off._ He arranged Anakin into a position that looked reasonably comfortable, and threw a blanket over him. He sat down, intending to start picking up the tea set, when sleep overtook him as well.

"Padmé, Padmé." Anakin said restlessly, in his sleep, waking Obi-Wan.

The thirty-eight-year-old Master shut his eyes. _No, please, don't start having nightmares again. I can't handle the pain that it brings to you, my Padawan. _Anakin was covered in sweat, and he'd wake up soon, if that was what this was. On cue, Anakin bolted upright.

"Nightmare?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.

"Yes," was Anakin's simple answer.

"Like with your mother?"

"Yes," Anakin answered again.

"I'm sorry, Anakin." Obi-Wan said.

"What for?" He asked, confused.

"Because you have these nightmares. Because you are faced with loosing people that you care for. Senator Amidala?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"You were calling her name."

Anakin let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Master. I don't want to burden you,"

Obi-Wan finally got exasperated with him. "How many times do I have to tell you that you are not a burden to me? I care deeply for you, and it hurts me to see you hurt like this."

Anakin was silent for a long time, but Obi-Wan was more patient than he was. "I don't want to lose someone else, Master."

"I know, Anakin. It's difficult to deal with all the loss, even for so stoic a Jedi as Master Yoda."

"Who has he lost?"

"He has, on occasion, taken on a Padawan, the last being Mace Windu."

"Mace Windu was Master Yoda's Padawan?"

"I would have thought you knew that. He also trained Count Dooku. Don't you think that his death, and prior to that, his conversion to the dark side, hurt Master Yoda, who took on his training?"

"I did that to him," Anakin whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"When Dooku was just there, and I'd already cut his hands off, and he wasn't a threat, I couldn't stop myself. I killed him, in cold blood."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, not really knowing what to say to that.

"Palpatine said for me to do it, that he was too dangerous to be left alive, and so I did it, even though I didn't want to."

Obi-Wan sat back, thinking through the ramifications of what his former Padawan had just said. "You didn't want to, but you did it anyway," he looked at his friend, his brother, who was now being torn apart freshly with the thought of the additional burden of grief that he'd placed on Master Yoda, with actions that he'd so much as admitted were not his own.

"I don't know what to do, Master. The war is going so badly, and…and…" he trailed off, and Obi-Wan thought that there had been a tiny crack in Anakin's armor, he'd been about to tell him something important.

"You got good news today." Obi-Wan said. "I receive so little that is good anymore, and I felt your happiness through the Force. Tell me."

He felt shame surround his friend. "I can't, Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan felt Anakin fight a conflict within himself, his duty against his friendship with Obi-Wan.

"If it's something that you think that I'll go to the Council over, I would rather you trust me with it, and I will swear to you that I won't tell a soul, than to see you suffer, my brother," Obi-Wan said, honestly. He hated having to make that oath to Anakin, just to get him to open up to him, but felt somehow that it was necessary. "I only want what's best for you."

"Even if it's something that would get me kicked out of the Order?"

Obi-Wan frowned. _Force, what _has _he been doing?_ "Even then,"

Anakin nodded, then he let the bombshell drop on Obi-Wan's head. "Padmé's pregnant."


	2. In the middle of the night

**AN: Thanks to all who read the first chapter, and the 5 reveiwers so far!**

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi had only seen the Sando Aqua Monster once, but he could do a fair impression of one, which was what he was doing at that moment. "Anakin," He started, then changed his tone, "Anakin," but that wasn't right either. He sighed, "Anakin, I swear that every time we spend any length of time together, I get more grey hair."

"Please don't say that Master. I have tried to be a good student."

"I wish Siri were here." He whispered under his breath, _She always had the words that I didn't._

"Siri Tachi, Master?"

"Yes. I don't suppose that you would have reason to know _that_ story."

"What story, Master?"

"As I thought. A long time ago, when I was about the age you were when you were protecting the good Senator again on Naboo, when Siri and I were still Padawans, something happened. We were assigned to protect a boy, Talesan Fry, and through the various adventures in doing so, we discovered that we were in love with each other. Both of us knew the Code, and we decided that being Jedi was more important than being together."

"I didn't know, master. So when Siri died last year?"

"It nearly drove me over the edge."

Anakin came closer to Obi-Wan, nearly touching the untouchable Master, finally sharing the grief, and understanding some of what his Master had gone through. "So how can I get through this, Master? I don't want to lose Padmé; she is my life, my reason for getting up in the morning. She is everything to me."

"Tell me about the vision."

"It's all foggy like, except for just a small bit. I see Padmé, but as though I'm looking down from above. She's in labor; you are there. She dies. That's pretty much it."

"That's odd. You aren't there?"

"Not that I can see."

"You know none of what leads up to this event?"

"No, Master."

"It might be good to tell Master Yoda about this, young one. Doubtless he knows something is brewing already anyway."

"I don't want to tell anyone. The more people know, the easier it will be for me to be expelled from the Order."

"Anakin, please at least tell him about the dream. You don't have to get specific, but maybe he can tell you something that you haven't thought of. And do try to listen to what he says," Obi-Wan told him, putting a hand on the taller man's shoulder. The light touch opened a bond between them too close for words. It had been a very, very long time since his training bond had been this wide open. Not that it was supposed to exist anymore in the first place.

"Master, why isn't it always like this for us?" Anakin asked, for once not breaking the contact.

_Because, you have let Palpatine drive a wedge between us. _Obi-Wan didn't bother with his voice, his thoughts easily carried to his friend.

Anakin examined his actions of the past few years with this new light. _I have. I just wanted someone to understand me. I didn't think that you would. You've always been so serious._

_Not always. I'm surprised that you haven't convinced Bant or Garen to tell you stories about me from when I was a young Padawan. _

_There was a time that the ever so serious Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't so serious?_ Disbelief colored the Knight's tone.

_There was. Is that what you've needed? To know that I haven't always been the way that I was when you met me? To know that I learned from my mistakes the same way that you have, by ignoring perfectly good advice and going out and doing whatever I'd intended and paid the price?_

_I …I don't know. It certainly doesn't hurt. _A certain peacefulness flowed from Anakin, something that should have been flowing from him all of the time, but for some reason hadn't been.

_Anakin, I don't think that you should be on Coruscant for much longer. Something isn't right, and you've more important things to take care of, now. _

_What do you mean, Master? There's nothing wrong with Coruscant._

_It's like there's evil seeping through the cracks in the walls. It's not enough to notice while you're here, but it gets thicker every time that we come back. _

_I don't see it. _

_It hides from you. _

_Why would it do that?_

_To make you doubt._

_Oh. Padmé said she wanted to go to Naboo to have the baby. Will that be sufficient?_

_It might be. Go see Master Yoda in the morning, see what he has to say about your vision, and then we'll see where to go from there. _Obi-Wan took a few minutes to clean the tea set off the table; it had long since gone cold.

"If you want, since I haven't taken a Padawan on, you can go sleep in your old room." Obi-Wan offered from the kitchen as he washed the teapot out.

"Thank you, Master. I…" he trailed off, thinking about it. Obi-Wan had given him blanket permission to see through the birth of his child. He didn't need to go rushing off to wake Padmé. She needed her rest, and he needed to be up and about the Temple fairly early. "I'll do that, thank you." He concluded.

* * *

In his chambers, Palpatine frowned. The dream that he had sent the boy was supposed to have confused and scared him, and it had worked. Much as the dream about his Mother had. He snickered at the memory of how easy it had been to get Skywalker to react with rage at the Sand People, not to mention how easy it had been to arrange for her capture in the first place. The memory was a good one, one of success, and it stood in glaring contrast to this moment.

Why was he now sensing peace and relief off of his new apprentice? Something wasn't right. Palpatine took a risk, feeling out from where Anakin was and cursed. He was with his old Master. _Why wasn't he with his wife? Had Kenobi felt something?_ Palpatine had been so certain that Anakin would've been in the Senator's bed this night. Palpatine boiled with anger; he wouldn't be able to get any more information about what had gone wrong with out revealing himself, and he wasn't ready to do that yet. The boy wasn't ready for that revelation just yet. Palpatine paced, frustrated, _how could he tempt Skywalker if he had the support of his Master?_ Simple, destroy Kenobi, but try as he might Kenobi was still alive.

_Skywalker was away too much_, he thought to himself; he needed to do something to correct that. Palpatine had set death trap after death trap for the stodgy Master, and time after time, either Kenobi or Skywalker would ruin his plans. Much as had happened on the Invisible Hand; the boy resisted his mental manipulations on leaving Kenobi. Palpatine had hoped, after it had been so easy to get him to kill Dooku that getting him to leave his Master would be feasible. It had not been. Palpatine had underestimated the attachment the boy had to Kenobi. It would be a mistake that he would not make again. However driving them apart or killing Kenobi would present a problem, especially since he'd already sacrificed his most powerful servant, in the hope that Anakin would soon replace him.

The problem taxed Palpatine's considerable intellect. Outright assassination wouldn't work, and would very probably just lose Palpatine another valuable tool that he wasn't ready to part with yet. Kenobi was an irritant that should have been removed ages ago. It would be a long night, and Palpatine gave thanks to the spirit of Darth Bane the Bold that the Sith required no rest in the mortal sense.

* * *

**Thanks again for reading. If you'd like to read more of my work, I'm working on a Time Travel fic; it's**** much further along than this, and is called Yoda's Shadow.**


	3. Unexpected Conversations

**AN: Thanks for everyone's kind reviews: 5 for the chapter, and 2 of them repeats...Yay. And the story is already on 10 Fav lists...Wow. **

* * *

Obi-Wan got up that morning in a better mood than he'd been in for months, years actually, if he truly took the time to think about it. Anakin, HIS Anakin was talking to him again. He'd gotten into trouble, no surprise there, but something could be done about it, maybe. He made breakfast cheerfully, and peeked into Anakin's room. He was still sleeping, having wrapped himself in the bed sheets at odd angles. The boy had never been still, even in sleep. He smiled, and Anakin's eyes opened.

"You're leaking emotions again, Master," Anakin said sleepily.

"I'd begun to think that there was nothing that I could do, nothing that I could say, to make things better for you. 'I understand what you're going through' never seemed adequate." He let the silence fall for a moment. "Come on, I have breakfast ready, then you can go see Yoda, while I give the briefing on how the war is going in the Outer Rim."

"How is the war going in the Outer Rim?" Anakin asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.

"Not well, overall. Saleucami has fallen, and Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity, though."

"Alright, Anything else?"

"I haven't talked to Master Windu yet this morning. He was going to give me a report on what was going on insofar as the political arena is concerned. He seemed rather worried about it when I spoke with him last night, before you came over. I think he was somewhat upset that I was putting him off, but you're problems are of greater concern to me at the moment."

Anakin fell silent for a moment, and then asked, "So do you really think what I'm going through is more important than the war?"

"Of course it is Anakin. What happens to you has always been more important to me than anything else."

Anakin was stunned by this revelation. They finished the rest of their meal in silence.

"Meet me after I give this report, and we'll talk again then." He cleared away the dishes, while Anakin finished the last touches of getting dressed. He'd put on the more traditional robes that Obi-Wan had left for him, instead of going to find some of his more wretched flight gear that he usually wore. It comforted Obi-Wan that his friend was slipping back into patterns that he'd thought that Anakin had forgotten.

Obi-Wan made his way to meet with Mace.

"Master Windu, it is good to see you this morning," he said cheerfully.

Mace gave him a slightly incredulous look. "I have been watching the Senate." He said, getting down to business.

"I had gathered that from what you were saying last night."

"I wanted to speak with you last night, but you put me off, may I now ask why?"

"I needed to speak with Anakin. I think I'm finally breaking through some of the barriers that he's put up. I'm not sure, though. It could be a long time before I'm sure of what's going on with him."

"This is better news than you've brought me in a while."

"I wouldn't say that; it is movement. The direction of the movement, I am uncertain of. I'm going to send him off, out of the war zone, to deal with this, if I can have the Council's permission to deal with this matter myself."

"I'm sure that the Council would grant it, but there's something that you should know. Palpatine asked to see Anakin, and he won't tell us why. It was a formal request, one that came very early this morning."

"I cannot condone that. He's not in the best place, emotionally, and with the cloud of darkness that hangs over Palpatine, I'm certain that it would do him harm to see the man."

"What do you want to do?"

"Let me give my report. I've talked Anakin into seeing Master Yoda about a vision that he had, last night, in fact. The Council can meet in full to discuss this, but I don't want to tell Anakin about what Palpatine has asked if I can avoid it, because he's too likely to go see Palpatine if I do."

"I don't like the deception, but I believe you are correct."

Obi-Wan nodded. "What else is there to discuss about the Senate matters?" he asked as they continued to walk in the direction of the map room.

"The Senate is expected to grant additional Emergency powers to the Chancellor."

"Is there anything else?"

"No, don't you think that's enough?"

Obi-Wan laughed. "More than enough, old friend. I'll see you in the Council meeting later," he waved and moved off into another coridor while Mace went straight.

* * *

Obi-Wan gave his report while Anakin spoke with Yoda. Yoda told Anakin things that, while Anakin would have dismissed them as platitudes before the previous night, were things he needed to hear. "Death is a natural part of life; rejoice for those who have joined the Force."

At that moment, he felt something that he'd only felt once before in his life—at his darkest moment, when his mother had died. He failed to hear any of the other things that Yoda said, but instead heard Qui-Gon's voice. "Passing on is a part of life, little one. Joining the Force allows me to be with you always, not just sometimes, but the death that you have witnessed in your dream, that is only one possible path, the worst path. Listen to Obi-Wan, and you cannot go wrong."

Anakin's eyes hurt from the unshed tears, "I understand, Master," he said.

"You've made your share of mistakes, but I'm still proud of you. I'm proud of both of you. It is not too late for you, Anakin." He felt cut adrift as the presence left, and he opened his eyes.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," he said, bowing to the aging master, going to find Obi-Wan.

* * *

Obi-Wan finished his report to the group of gathered knights. One of them came over, commenting on Anakin's missing presence.

"I am aware that he was not here, and I have already spoken to him of this topic. He had something else that he needed to take care of, which I did determine needed to be done rather immediately. I'm sure that if this doesn't take him away from us, he will attend the next briefing."

Anakin came into the room, excited about something, calming quickly at Obi-Wan's glare. "I have a matter of importance that I need to discuss with you, alone, Master," he said sedately.

"It will have to wait, Anakin, I'm sorry. I have a Council meeting of the utmost importance, right now." He gathered his things, preparing to leave for the Council meeting, but the crestfallen look Anakin gave him was almost more than he could bear. "There are things that cannot wait, and I'll be able to talk to you about them later," he said as he began to walk out the door with Anakin. Something changed in Anakin's face, his demeanor. Something had strengthened his confidence. "How did your meeting go?"

"Something…unexpected…happened, Master."

"When has anything ever gone in an expected way with you, my former Padawan?"

He looked at Obi-Wan. "I can't say that I can ever remember a time, Master." They arrived at the Council Chambers. "I am going to go meditate, Master. I'll be in the Room of a Thousand Fountains when you are done." Anakin said as he headed off while Obi-Wan would be stuck in the Council meeting. Obi-Wan wondered briefly why he didn't take the opportunity to go see Padmé, but he realized she would be in meetings, just as he was.

He shook his head, and entered the Chamber. As he took his seat, he found that all of the other members of the Council were there. "I'm sorry to hold the meeting up," he said, but no one said anything else, so he continued, "I was having a talk with Anakin."

"To order we will come." Yoda said, opening the meeting. "Called this meeting was, by Master Kenobi."

He didn't want to talk about this, it was so personal and dynamic right then, but he needed to see that everyone else would stay out of it, for Anakin's sake. "I have two points, and that only. Last night Anakin came to me, at my request, to discuss a matter of some importance to him. It is not a matter that I can discuss, but I was very pleased to see that he actually opened up to me. While he was there, both of us were so tired by our day's events that we fell asleep while talking. I was awakened when he began to have a nightmare. I don't want to go into details, because it was strange to me, the way that he presented it. It does not feel right to me. I ask leave of the Council to deal with this personally, as Master to Aprentice." It was an unusual request, since Anakin had been Knighted some three years earlier.

"With the Chancellor's influence over Anakin," began Mace Windu, "I can see how this would be something that requires the utmost delicacy. What have you done about the Chancellor's request to see Anakin?"

"I have done nothing. I have not told Anakin, nor have I spoken with the Chancellor. That is my second point. I wish to tell the Chancellor that Anakin has been given a mission to understand his visions, and that seeking him out at this point in time would only disturb him unnecessarily."

"You want to prevent him from seeing Anakin?" Agen Kolar asked.

"That is precisely what I propose. I understand that the Council is loathe to interfere in the relationship, but with the cloud of darkness that surrounds Palpatine, and the failure of my former Padawan to keep himself in check emotionally more often than not, I don't believe that it would do Anakin any good to go see him."

Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke up then. "Are we proposing to protect the Chosen One from the Sith that controls the Chancellor?"

"For a time, yes," Obi-Wan said. "I'm not sure what it is that he's going through right now, but I sense a greater understanding coming from him. I would almost say it is like he is going through his trials again."

"How long do you expect this to take, Obi-Wan?" Kit Fisto asked through his Holographic projection.

"Six months at the very outside, I really can't see it taking any longer than that, and probably shorter."

"In a war this large," Mace commented, "six months could be a very long time, and he usually goes with you."

"We would be loosing both of you, or just him?" Coleman Kcaj asked.

"Both at various points, but I think that it would be best for Anakin to stay off the front lines until this has concluded. I will check on his progress as needed."

After a few minutes of silence, Yoda spoke, "Questions for Master Kenobi, have you any further?" a murmur of no's followed. "Allow that this questing to understand his vision will you allow?" Everyone, surprisingly, agreed. Anakin was his to deal with for the next six months. "Inform the Chancellor shall we that oblige his request, we cannot?"

Several more questions were posed, and answered, but finally everyone agreed to the point.

* * *

Obi-Wan brought up the Chancellor's office on his communicator. "I understand that you wished to speak with Anakin." He said, calm, cool, collected.

"I did. Is there a reason that I cannot?"

"I was unaware of the request when I gave him leave to pursue a vision that he has had. It would be very disruptive to him to be distracted from this pursuit, I'm afraid."

"It is of the utmost importance that I speak with him." The Chancellor said.

"If it is so important, Chancellor, perhaps I might be of assistance?" Obi-Wan asked. There was stunned silence on the other end of the communication. Obi-Wan could swear that he heard the Chancellor clear his throat.

"No, Master Kenobi, that is quite alright. If young Skywalker is so indisposed it can wait, for a time," Obi-Wan was convinced that the Chancellor's voice held a note of warning in it.

"Thank you for understanding, Chancellor. As soon as Anakin is ready, I'm sure he will be happy to assist you with whatever task you have for him," Obi-Wan said, hoping the distaste he felt talking to the Chancellor wasn't coming through his voice.

"Yes, I'm sure he will be most helpful, Master Kenobi. Good day," the Chancellor's oily voice, then the connection closed.

Obi-Wan sighed and made his way to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to find Anakin, sensing him to be there. He wondered what his former apprentice had been so excited about.


	4. Padmé and plans for the future

**AN: 9 reviews for the third chapter, yay. I really don't know what's going to happen in the story yet. I find out as I write, so if you have suggestions, I gladly take them (and occasionally incorporate them)**

* * *

A most interesting sight assaulted itself onto Obi-Wan's eyes as he approached Anakin's favorite fountain. He hadn't bothered checking for his friend through the Force; he knew to check here first. Anakin was facing away from him, toward the fountain, but he was deep in meditation. _Force how he hated meditation when he first came to Coruscant, _Obi-Wan thought as he approached, and he sat down, dropping into meditation himself. It was a good hour before Anakin noted his presence, and the indication that he'd noticed came in the form of a bear hug. 

"Breathe," he said hoarsely, as Anakin had been able to knock the wind out of him.

"I'm sorry, Master," he said unrepentantly, but Anakin did release him.

"Now, what was this 'matter of importance' that couldn't wait until after the Council meeting?" Obi-Wan asked as he adjusted his robes back into something approaching normalcy.

Anakin, for his part looked confused, but then, like a light switch inside his head he brightened as he remembered. "I heard something while I was meditating with Yoda."

"And that would be?"

"I'm not quite sure you'll believe me, Master."

"I've learned not to disbelieve you, at least, until further evidence presents itself."

Anakin nodded. "Master Qui-Gon spoke to me."

Obi-Wan sat down next to the fountain. "What did he have to say?"

"He told me that this dream is only the worst possible path. He said that I should listen to you. That I've made mistakes, but it's not too late, and one more thing."

"Go on."

"He said that he's proud of me, and of you."

The last thing that Obi-Wan had expected was approval from his Master, from beyond the grave, no less. _Was his Master truly able to talk from beyond?_ He was glad that he was sitting down at that moment, because his knees wouldn't have held him. "Did he really say that?"

Anakin was serious, usually not a good sign, but indicative of honesty, "Of course, Master. I wouldn't, couldn't make something like this up."

He ruffled Anakin's hair. "I didn't mean that I didn't believe you, but this is, well, rather unbelievable."

"I know, Master, but it's true," he said as he sat down next to Obi-Wan.

"So, what had you so wrapped up in your meditation that it took you an hour to notice me?"

"I was meditating on the ramifications of my actions on the last occasion that I had to hear his voice."

"And that would be?"

"When I was on Tatooine, Master, when my mother died."

"You've never spoken about that. Are you ready to share now, with your horrible old Master Obi-Wan?"

"You aren't horrible."

"You're avoiding my question."

"Yes, I think I need to."

"Alright, I'll listen, my former Padawan," he said, scarcely believing that this was the same young man that he'd come home with two days ago.

"I went to Watto's, but he told me that he'd sold her to this guy, Cliegg Lars, years earlier, and that this guy, Lars had freed her and married her. I got the information from him as to where she was, and went to see her. They had a moisture farm, just a little place, and Lars had a son, Owen, who's nearly my age. They told me that Tuskan Raiders had kidnapped her, and I headed out to find her, to bring her home. They'd already sent a party of like thirty people out after her, but only four of them had returned, one of them Cliegg, minus a leg. I found her, but she'd been beaten, tortured, starved, and was dying. She knew me, she talked, babbled really, about how proud she was of me, and that she loved me then she died," tears streamed unnoticed down his face.

"I'm sorry, Anakin. I wish that I'd known. You had dreams for weeks before she died. It was so hard to tell you that it was your duty not to go to her."

"It's the past, Master. I haven't finished, though."

"Go on, then."

"I weep for her, there in the Tuskan's prison tent, I wept until dawn. I got up and I killed the guards outside her tent. I wanted revenge for what they'd done to her. There was a little child there, maybe five or so. I, I'm not sure what happened then, but I killed that child, then driven by a blood rage from the death of the first innocent, I killed every one in the camp: every last man, woman, and child. Most of it is thankfully a blur, but it remains that I did it."

"Oh, Anakin," he said, drawing the young man into a hug, thankful for whatever good forces had finally gotten through to him, before something worse happened to him. They wept together, for a long time. _The cleansing that good tears can do_, Obi-Wan mused, as he helped Anakin to rid himself of that demon.

"You said that was the last time that you'd heard Qui-Gon's voice," Obi-Wan stated.

"Oh, that. Just before I first went to kill the guards, I heard him."

"I assume that he wasn't happy with your actions."

"You could say that."

"I'm sure," Obi-Wan said sarcastically.

"I believe the exact phrase was, 'No, Anakin, NO!'"

"Ah," he said, something that could mean both everything and nothing.

* * *

Palpatine had not had the best of days so far. His plan to place his future apprentice in a compromising position on the Jedi Council had thus far failed miserably. His former Master had interfered yet again, saying that the boy had been give leave to investigate visions. Visions that he had sent Anakin. _Damn him anyway. _He thought. He would just have to catch him later on, as he was on his way to see his wife. He wondered briefly what the boy was up to. He trailed the evil strings that he'd tied to Anakin's soul, feeling that the boy was a tumult of emotions. He was reliving the night of his mother's death. That was a good memory for him to be reviewing. Palpatine relaxed as he sensed what his next apprentice was enduring. Then something happened. He wasn't even sure himself what, but some of the dark bonds that he'd so carefully woven around Anakin started to snap. He felt out again from Anakin, and found, not only was Obi-Wan close, but he was in physical contact with him. Palpatine withdrew, knowing that his anger at the situation wouldn't help, because the situation was already quickly getting worse. _This was a nasty turn of events. _He thought, _Maybe tonight, I can send him something more horrific, before all of his beautiful darkness evaporates.

* * *

_

"I want you off the front lines for a while. With everything that is going on, I just don't think that's a good place for you. The Council has agreed."

"I don't see that as necessary, Master, I can pursue my visions on the battlefield as well as off. You didn't tell them everything, did you?" he said, worried, but not the panicked fear that Obi-Wan actually expected out of him.

"I promised that I wouldn't, and so I haven't. You have things that need done, which will have you preoccupied if you are in the middle of a war zone. I told them that you'd had a vision; I didn't go into detail, other than the fact that I found it quite strange. I told them that you were finally starting to open up to me again, and that I wanted to see if I could make further progress with you before I sent you back to the war. They wanted to know if I would be indisposed with you for that whole time, but I think I can trust you for long enough to go lead troops in battle a couple of times a month. Cody is capable, but he likes to have me there."

Anakin laughed at that, "So he does, Master."

"I told them that this shouldn't take more than six months, am I right?"

"I don't really know, but I know who to ask."

"Later, my former Padawan. I'll assume that it's probably about the right length. If not, then we have more problems than I care to think about." Anakin looked confused. "Let's go get some dinner, and then we can visit some of your Senator friends. I'm sure that they all are dying to see you, since I don't think you've been out of the Temple for nearly an entire day."

"Certainly, Master," he said as he bounded up, and then offered his hand to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan waived him off. "I'm not infirm, Anakin," he said as he managed to get up off the ground with some dignity.

They made their way to the Dining Hall, where they found something that resembled food, ate, and went back to Obi-Wan's Quarters. Obi-Wan wanted to ensure that they looked their best, and robes in which they'd been sitting on the ground just didn't cut it.

After a quick change of clothes, they got into Anakin's speeder, and headed over to the senators' residence. They landed on a platform, with which Anakin was apparently quite familiar, and they made their way to an elevator, taking it to a floor which Anakin selected. When the doors opened, there was no one in the hallway, but that didn't seem to disturb Anakin, who simply made his way to one of the many doors on the floor. "Well?" Obi-Wan asked him.

Anakin seemed disturbed. He put his fingers up to the door, as though he were feeling it, or rather behind it. "She's not here."

"Maybe she had some late meetings."

"Maybe," He agreed unhappily.

"Is this earlier than you usually arrive?"

"Yes, but not that much. I'd think that she'd be home."

"Do I detect a bit of jealousy?"

"Probably, Master. Padmé tells me constantly that I have nothing to worry about, but…" Anakin leaned up against the wall next to the door.

"With the hiding, and everything else, that negative emotion rears its ugly head."

"Yes, Master."

"And you have no real reason for any sort of jealousy, I don't suppose."

"Not really, Master, it's just that I get to spend so little time with Padmé as it is, that…I don't even know what I'm thinking," he said, with a look of absolute defeat.

Obi-Wan didn't even have time to respond when Padmé came into the hall. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, obviously unsure what to do.

"No. I came to have a talk with the two of you." Obi-Wan said, leaving no room for questions that the discussion would take place.

"Why don't you come inside, Master Obi-Wan?" she said somewhat nervously, opening her door.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing that Anakin said once the door was closed.

"What for now?" Padmé asked him, carefully sitting down on the sofa. Had Obi-Wan not been watching for it, he would have missed the fact that her belly was definitely swollen. He'd guessed correctly, she'd gotten pregnant their last trip through. He sat across from her on the other sofa.

"Because I said that I'd be back last night. I fell asleep on Obi-Wan's couch." Anakin said as he curled up beside her.

She looked at him incredulously. "Have you taken a fever?"

Anakin, for his part, looked confused. "Why is everyone asking if I'm OK? I feel better than I have since…" He thought about the last time that he'd felt as good as he did at that moment. "Since I first met you on Tatooine."

"So then you understand the depth that this change has undertaken." Obi-Wan said.

"I understand. I'm very happy. I think I'm finally starting to understand all the nonsense that you babble about."

"Anakin, it is not nonsense, it is the Way of the Jedi."

"I realize that, now. Two days ago, it was just that much drivel."

Obi-Wan began to realize the depths to which he'd been failing his Padawan. _Don't forget that just this morning Qui-Gon was saying that he was proud of you. That must count for something._ "Alright, the reason that we are here; so much has happened in the last day, that I'm not sure where to begin," he said.

"Maybe it would be easier if I did, Master."

"Perhaps. Go ahead."

"Padmé some very wonderful things have happened since I returned to Coruscant. First I learned that I was to be a father, and that led to the other wonderful things that happened. Obi-Wan asked me why I was so happy; he'd felt it through the Force. I made him promise not to tell anyone else, before I told him, but letting it free, it was like it freed me. I had a horrible vision, though," he said, his jubilance abating, "but I talked with Master Yoda and Master Qui-Gon about it and everything will be fine, I'm sure of it." Anakin said as he stroked her hair, which she hadn't put down yet, and he watched as her mouth opened and closed several times before Obi-Wan spoke again.

"I don't think that you could have shocked her more if you'd grown another head, Anakin."

"I-I'm not sure what to say, Obi-Wan. Did he say that he was talking to Master Qui-Gon?"

"Yes, Apparently Qui-Gon talks to him, and has for years. I found out this afternoon."

"I'm not losing it, I swear. I just hear his voice, when I really need it." Anakin told them.

"I've been trying for years to get through these landmines that have come between us. Also, I wish you wouldn't go to see Palpatine; I don't want to lose you, after just getting you back."

A slight flare of anger, nothing compared with what it would have been the day before, even, appeared in Anakin's eyes, "For how long, and why?" was his incredibly reasonable answer.

"Until the baby is born, at least. It shouldn't be too much of an issue, as you are going off planet soon, and won't return until then anyway. As to why, logic would suggest that of all of the people in the Senate the Sith Lord would want to have Palpatine under his control. I'm afraid he might be using your friendship with Palpatine to attempt to corrupt you," Obi-Wan explained.

Something happened. Obi-Wan, having prepared for the battle of his life, was suddenly left hanging. "You think the Sith Lord wants to turn me to the Dark Side?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, Anakin, I do. With Dooku dead and you in a state of emotional vulnerability, it makes sense he'd make a play for you. Coupled with the fact that you have the potential to be the greatest Jedi in recent memory, if not ever, is it really a stretch?" Obi-Wan said gently. Padmé gasped at the implications of Obi-Wan's words.

"Oh, Ani, if that were to happen to you…"

"Don't worry Angel, Obi-Wan's concern is enlightening, I had never thought of the possibility, but what you say Master, it does make sense. I won't see Palpatine for the foreseeable future, if you think that's best, Master."

"Who are you and what have you done with my Anakin?" he asked, chuckling, then he continued, "Yes I do, however it may be easier said than done, my friend. He requested to speak with you this morning. I told him I had given you leave to investigate a vision you had had. However if the Dark Lord Dooku told us about is influencing the Chancellor he may attempt to seek you out regardless," Obi-Wan said.

"That means getting off planet. We can stay with your parents on Naboo, Padmé."

"Any thoughts on how Anakin is going to get away from the war?" Padmé asked.

"Obi-Wan got me off of active duty at least until the baby is born," Anakin said.

"But won't they expect you at the Temple?" Padmé asked.

"You're right, they won't expect me to leave Coruscant for any reason," Anakin said.

"I've already thought of that," Obi-Wan said. "I've informed the Council that I'd planned to take you off planet again anyway."

"I think I have an idea, what if my life was in danger again? That would give Anakin something to do that doesn't involve going to the front lines," Padmé said.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said.


	5. Off to Naboo

**AN: DanaeMarieSkywalker: You are correct. it is Tuskan. Tuscan refers to a region in Italy.**

**Booklover Fanatic:Your birthday does not coinside with a good day for me to write, unfortunately, but here is the fifth chapter, a little early.**

**Yay! 30 reviews in 4 chapters. (does the Happy Dance)**

* * *

Obi-Wan thought that it would be best if Anakin returned with him to the temple. He hated having to tell them that they couldn't spend time together, but it wouldn't look right for him to come home alone, and he didn't feel comfortable with all the politicians around, so he didn't want to stay there. Anakin drove them sedately back to the Temple. "Isn't Coruscant wonderful, Master?"

"It is. Why do you bring this up?"

"I don't know. I'm just happy to be here."

"I think it's worse than that."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that you're just plain happy."

"I think you're right. It wouldn't matter to me where I was right now; I'd be just as happy." He deftly pulled the little speeder onto the landing platform. They left the platform, headed to Obi-Wan's room, when they ran into Mace Windu. "Good evening, Master Windu," he said pleasantly, continuing down the hall.

"Obi-Wan? Was that Anakin?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite. I told you that we were starting to communicate better. He's come away with a much deeper understanding of some things."

Mace turned to look at the boy again. "I'm not sure that I quite believe how quickly this change is coming about."

"He's simply started to accept certain things that he fought before, and that's why it's so quick."

"If you say so, Obi-Wan. I didn't believe that he was changing, but now…"

"We need to get an early start tomorrow, Mace. I'll see you later." Obi-Wan said, running to catch up to Anakin. "You impressed Master Windu."

"I thought that was impossible, Master."

"Apparently not. Just difficult."

They reached Obi-Wan's door. "You are still welcome to stay here, or you can go back to your room."

"I'll stay here. It's more comfortable."

"More comfortable?" Obi-Wan asked as he entered the quarters that they'd shared for over a decade.

"It's home."

"Ah." They got ready for bed, but in the middle of the night, Obi-Wan was woken by Anakin's screams. That was the other reason that he didn't want Anakin staying over at Padmé's.

Obi-Wan knelt beside the boy's bed as Anakin tossed fitfully, "NO, No, not her, not Leia, please." He said several times, "No, why? She's innocent, leave her alone!" he screamed as he sat up.

"Shhh. It was bad?"

"Obi-Wan," he breathed, shaking from the bad emotions the vision had brought forth. "It was about the baby."

"Oh, Anakin, I'm sorry."

"I was the one hurting her."

"What do you mean, Anakin?"

"Sith Lightning, I was using it on her, while she was in her bassinette."

"You aren't going to do that, Anakin."

"I dreamt it," he said, turning the cold, dead eyes on him, eyes that Obi-Wan had hoped he'd never see in his Padawan's face again.

"I'm not going to let that happen to you. We are going to fight this together. I'm getting you off Coruscant tomorrow. I think that's part of the problem, we are too close to this Sith Lord."

"Do you think that he's sending these dreams?"

"I think it's likely at this point. He's in need of a new Apprentice, with you having deprived him of his current one."

Anakin shivered at the thought of being a Sith's prize. "Alright. We'll leave tomorrow."

* * *

Palatine sent visions of Anakin's child, his precious baby, and the horrible torture that he could make his apprentice cast Lightning on the child. But he'd failed. Anakin had already broken too many of the dark threads that connected them. He was too late. The dream had only brought abject horror, denial, and finally certainty that it wouldn't happen. He sighed, having feared that something like this would eventually happen, but hoping that the wedge that he'd continually driven between Anakin and Obi-Wan would be enough to keep Anakin deep enough in darkness for him to fall. Palpatine started to make other plans.

* * *

"I don't think Padmé needs to know about the dreams." 

"She's going to eventually need to know, if you're going to be living in the same house with her."

"I don't know what to tell her."

"We'll figure something out. I need to go have another talk with her, to see what she says about these 'assassination attempts.'"

"Alright. May I come?"

"Of course. Then when we get back, we can do some nice relaxing meditation, and then get out of here."

"Yes, Master."

They finished their meal, and headed over to the Senate Rotunda, where they were meeting with Senator Amidala. The three of them all had assumed that her office was bugged in some way, so they talked in semi-coded speech.

"It's good to see you, Senator. How have you been?"

"I've been well."

"I heard from Anakin that your life was in danger; as you know, this is very serious, and so we have come to ask that you leave Coruscant until the danger has passed."

"That is kind of you, Obi-Wan, but with the Senate daily voting on such critical issues, I'm not sure that I can leave."

"I'm sure that we can make some sort of arrangement so that your voice continues to be heard in the Senate."

"That would help in this decision. When had you thought that I should leave?"

"Today, if it is at all possible, milady."

"I see. You have been very quiet today, Anakin Skywalker."

"I did not sleep well last night. I am troubled by visions once again, and I am disturbed by their nature. I do not wish to discuss them."

Padmé was taken back by the sheer sullenness of his reaction, especially when compared to his very happy demeanor from the night before. She looked at Obi-Wan, who shrugged. "Are you often troubled by visions?"

"Only when someone close to me is in considerable danger."

"I see. Maybe this danger can be averted?"

"That is our hope," Obi-Wan told her.

* * *

Padmé took Jar Jar aside that day, to discuss with him what his duties as Senator would be. "I only want you to listen to Bail Organa. He will know the proper course for the way that the Senate's votes need to go." 

"Mesa understands, Padmé."

"Don't listen to the Chancellor. He's got some very bad people hanging around with him, and he's not to be trusted." Jar Jar nodded. "If you ever are in doubt, you may use this comm number." She handed him the data disk. "But only if you can't see how Bail Organa came to the conclusion that the particular course of action he is proposing is not going to compromise the safety of our people."

"Mesa can do this. Yousa goen. You go be safe with Ani."

"Thank you, Jar Jar." She hugged him, "you've been a good friend."

She packed lightly, knowing that she'd be able to pick up clothes at home, and was ready to go.

* * *

They sat in the little starship, after having taken off, headed home, to Naboo. Anakin sat quietly, curled up into a ball, his arms wrapped around his legs, watching her with his chin resting on his knees. 

Obi-Wan expressed surprise that Anakin had let him pilot the ship away from the surface but Anakin waived him off. "You can handle it, Master. I've taught you everything I know about flying a ship. You have to get used to it if you expect me to stay behind on Naboo for six months." Obi-Wan looked about how she had after Anakin had explained how "everything was going to be ok" in front of Obi-Wan the night before.

"I think we have the same problem now, Obi-Wan," Padmé said.

"What's that?"

"We don't know what to do with him."

"I think we can adjust." Obi-Wan told her, but didn't exactly seem to feel it for himself.

"I don't know. He's awfully quiet. I'm not sure that I could stand it."

"And I'll have to find someone else to scare me half to death on a daily basis."

Anakin smiled. Obi-Wan felt contentment radiate off his former Padawan for the first time in ages. The teasing was doing him no harm; in fact, it might actually be doing some good.


	6. Breakfast on the way

Obi-Wan wondered, and not for the first time, if his former Padawan would have been consumed by the darkness that surrounded the Chancellor. The possibility was in the past now, for which he was grateful. Anakin was asleep now, finally, and Padmé was as well, leaving him to watch the ship, and watch over them. He enjoyed the solace that the peace and quiet provided, without anyone else's thoughts intruding on his. He spent some time in meditation, and simply enjoying the ride. It had been a long time since he had been able to enjoy flight of any sort. He smiled at the thought. Anakin really had taught Obi-Wan as much as he could about flying, unwilling student that he was. Along with the darkness, his need to control everything had left him as well; at least when he knew the capabilities of those he was trusting. _Who knows if he will be that way on other matters?_ It was a start, and gave the Jedi Master hope just when he thought that hope had fled his grasp for the last time.

* * *

Anakin woke up. Obi-Wan, he could sense, was in the cockpit. He didn't wake up screaming from nightmares. It was wonderful. What he did wake up from, however, wasn't so wonderful. Padmé had decided that his arm was a comfortable pillow. His arm, on the other hand, was asleep. He sighed. Gently he used the Force to lift her head off of his arm, and slipped it out from under her head, and he replaced his arm with a pillow. The use of the Force had caught his Master's attention, though, since he was standing in the doorway.

_Doesn't that wake her up?_

Anakin grinned. _Never._

Obi-Wan shook his head. _We're nearly there, Padawan._

_I'm a Knight now,_ he protested half-heartedly.

_When you can act like it,_ he teased, rounding the corner. _Get up; I want you up here in the cockpit with me._

_Yes, Master. I will join you shortly._ He said, but it didn't have the biting tone that he usually used when Obi-Wan was ordering him around. Come to think of it, he hadn't exactly ordered him to get up; it was more of a request. Anakin slowly detangled himself from the sheets, having done this a thousand times before. She'd taken the outside of the small bunk, but he could float over her, so he did. He dressed quickly, and met Obi-Wan in the cockpit.

"Good. I was starting to believe that you'd let yourself get distracted."

"No. She's still asleep."

"Do you typically leave her while she sleeps?"

"Yes."

"And in doing so you deprive her of the ability to say good-bye to you."

"I hadn't thought about it that way. It's just so hard to say good-bye. But I haven't gone far this time."

"So you haven't. I think you need to stop the practice, and I'm sure that she'd agree."

Anakin looked down. "Am I going to be expelled from the order for this?"

"I haven't talked to anyone about that. Let's deal with one crisis at a time, shall we?"

"Yes, Master."

"I'm almost starting to believe that you are finally becoming the Jedi that you are supposed to be."

Anakin furiously blushed, "I hope that I can live up to your expectations, Master."

"I'm certain now that you can. I have had my share of doubts, with you seeming to share in the darkness that clings to the Chancellor, but now, I think, you are what Qui-Gon saw the first day that he met you."

"Except for my love for Padmé," Anakin said.

"No, Qui-Gon never agreed with the no attachment rule," Obi-Wan said.

"Really? Why are you just now telling me this?" Anakin asked.

"Because I never quite understood his position on it. He advised Siri and me to focus on being Jedi. Having to make that choice damaged my relationship with him, it was months before I could bring myself to forgive him, especially knowing how he felt about the rule," Obi-Wan told Anakin, regret apparent in his voice.

"Being a Jedi was more important to you than your love of Siri, wasn't it?"

"At the time it seemed that way, of course now it's too late to change my mind."

"Would you, if she were still alive?"

"I don't know. A lot of that would depend on what she wanted, I suppose."

Anakin nodded, and was silent for a few moments, then said, "You would have been good together, I think. From what little I saw, I think she completed you, Master. The same way Padmé completes me."

"I think you are right, Anakin. I am forced to wonder just how many Jedi have this problem. Most beings long for a connection to others in some form, I suppose that is why Qui-Gon opposed the rule."

"Why didn't he fight to change it?"

"Too much opposition, fear really. For all the Council's talk of never basing a decision on fear, they seem to base many of them on it."

"So the Council is violating the Code by not changing the rules?"

"I suppose one could look at it that way. Qui-Gon also had the theory that we are driving ourselves to extinction."

"How so?"

"Think about it Anakin, we bring in those children that have potential, then if they don't measure up by the time they are thirteen they are place back into society where they are free to have children, whereas the ones that do measure up are taken by Masters and aren't allowed to breed except in the direst of circumstances."

"You're saying we're self selecting ourselves out of the gene pool?"

"Essentially, yes. At least for the species in the Republic that aren't suffering from already low populations or low birth rates."

"Maybe that's what the prophecy means; that I'm supposed to change it."

"I can't come up with a logical rebuttal to that argument, my friend. Indeed if that is the case, you've done a bang up job of it already," Obi-Wan said grinning; apparently glad to have the conversation take a lighter tone.

"What do you mean? One baby isn't going to change the trend."

"What makes you think she's only carrying one?"

Anakin stared at his Master as if he'd just started telling a Hutt dirty joke in perfect Huttese. Obi-Wan grinned at him and then said, "Mouths are meant to be closed, Anakin. Do you want to host a nest of mynocks in there?"

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Master," Anakin said, recovering his voice, but a small chuckle escaped in spite of his attempts to look severe at Obi-Wan.

"Oh, I am. I can't wait to watch you change your first diaper." There was a soft sound from the back. "Looks like your wife is waking up."

"Yes, she is. I'm going to fix her some breakfast, are you hungry?"

"Yes, and just hungry enough to eat what you do to perfectly good food."

"I'll remember that when you're begging me to make you kristas."

"I take it back," Obi-Wan said with mock horror in his voice as Anakin chuckled on his way to the back of the ship.

* * *

Padmé woke up, alone, _no real surprise there, _she mused. She stretched out her muscles, but she wasn't ready to get up just yet. She was lying there, considering what she should do for the day, since she didn't think she had any meetings that were pressing upon her, when she smelled someone cooking. She gathered her mind from the tangles of sleep, and realized that she was on a ship, on her way home, with her husband and his Master. She was suddenly not so happy to be awake. Her Father was not going to be a happy man.

She rolled over and groaned into her pillow. "Something the matter, Angel?" Anakin asked from the other room.

"Nothing more than usual, I was just thinking about how my father will react to the news." She put a dressing robe on, and entered the galley to the sound of cracking eggs.

"I don't know. I've only met him twice. I know that I wouldn't take it too well if I were in his position. I've been thinking about how I'd react, since we're going to be having a daughter of our own soon."

She scowled at him, and went over to the table where Obi-Wan was already eating an omelet. "We are having a boy."

Obi-Wan got a wicked twinkle in his eye. "You're both wrong. You're having a Yoda."

"Well that takes back-talking to a whole new level." Anakin said over Padmé's giggles.

"I believe that you are correct, Padmé. You are having a boy." Obi-Wan said, the twinkle never leaving. "But I also believe that my Padawan is correct as well."

"Oh no, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are not cursing us with twins." She said with mock severity.

He shrugged. "My Lady, I have absolutely nothing to do with this. If you seek to blame someone for this, blame my former Padawan."

Padmé was laughing uncontrollably as she watched an egg float unnoticed over his head.

"Perhaps we should go into comedy, Anakin. We are obviously very talented in that area." She heard the egg crack, and then watched the contents splash down onto his head, at which point she fell out of her chair, where she could see Anakin better, albeit upside-down.

"Yes, Master. I believe that you are correct," he said with a big grin.

* * *

Palpatine was annoyed. All of his plans for the Skywalker brat had evaporated when his thrice-damned Master had done _something. _He had now considered every option he felt he had available to him at that point, which led him to the conclusion that he really only had one thing that he really wanted to do. Kill Kenobi. To that end, he summoned General Grievous to him. This was somewhat risky, as Grievous was unstable to say the least. However, the only true risk was that he would lose such an excellent pawn as Grievous. Palpatine did not know how the insane droid general would react to the revelation that the man he had so recently held on the _Invisible Hand_ was, in fact, the man giving him his orders. He cleared his schedule, and headed down to his Sith Sanctuary. Grievous should be on Utapau by now, so Palpatine moved to make contact with him.

"Lord Sidious," the droid General's voice came over the holotransmitter.

"General Grievous. I have several items that you will find most interesting today. I must first be assured of your absolute silence on these items."

"Yes, my lord."

"I wish for you to invade Naboo."

"What incentive is there for me to move my troops to Naboo?"

"I have reason to believe that Skywalker and Kenobi have fled there, taking Senator Amidala with them."

"I will go."

"I do not wish to see the Senator harmed. I wish for you to capture her and bring her to me."

"Yes, my lord."

He pulled back his cowl. "Bring her directly to me, as soon as you have secured her capture; killing the Jedi is secondary."

He felt the droid processing and reconciling his true identity, and it took somewhat longer than the Sith Lord would have liked. "It will be done."

"Good. Peace is coming, and the war will be over soon," he said as he pulled his hood back up. "If you are successful with this mission, I will make you commander over all the Republic's Forces. You will be required to turn on the Separatist Council at an appropriate moment."

"That, my lord, will not be a problem."

"I though as much. Contact me when you reach Naboo. I will not keep you from your duties any longer."

"Yes, my lord," the droid General answered, and cut the transmission.

_Now, to try to secure a possible apprentice, in case the General fails to bring me the Skywalker brat._ He expected failure on this mission, resigning himself to the probability, but he hoped for success, and had made plans for that success, should he be so fortunate. Success of his plan was ideal, but not expected.


	7. The Creeping Shadow

**AN: Sorry for the huge delay in updating this, but I've been really been really busy with Shadows of the Sith and this is really more of a side project in any case.**

* * *

Obi-Wan was careful as the ship touched down, letting the passengers breathe a sigh of relief. The ship wasn't Padmé's, and they hadn't used any landing codes that would have tipped anyone off to their presence, and they were in disguise. Not the best disguises, to be sure, but disguises, nonetheless. "Come along, children," he said, having a good time with their cover story.

"Yes, Father," Anakin said, with a hint of his old sullenness. _It was good that Padmé is so fond of both of us_. Obi-Wan thought, _Since he's trying for his usual unbearable self._

"I'll get the bags," Obi-Wan told them, and for once he would have been happy to have had C-3PO's company, but as part of the cover story, both droids had been left on Coruscant.

"Let me do that, Father," Anakin said, hopping back into the ship, past a stunned Obi-Wan. He marveled again at the drastic changes that his Padawan had demonstrated. He returned, carrying half a dozen bags, somehow managing both to look like it was easy, and not use the Force in doing so.

"Let's go. I need to make arrangements to park this thing for a while."

"Yes, Father," Padmé said meekly as she walked next to Obi-Wan. Her condition no longer hidden, she was quite radiantly beautiful. She'd done something with her hair, and something with her makeup to downplay the look that she cultivated as Senator. They walked over to the counter sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of everything.

"How do I obtain a berthing for my ship? We will be here for a few weeks, at least."

"Oh, I can do that for you," the man behind the counter said, tapping out a few commands on the console in front of him. "Would you like droids to take the ship in, or do you prefer to do it yourself? There's no extra charge."

"The droids can handle the ship. How much will it be?"

The man gave them the price, which Obi-Wan had in hard credits, and he handed the man the money. "Thank you sir. Let us know when we can expect you back, and we will have your ship out and ready for you. Berth 20," he said, handing Obi-Wan a datachip.

"Thank you," he said, pocketing the chip, and they headed into Theed.

* * *

Padmé was tired. She'd been walking around Theed with two tireless Jedi, and even though one of them was carrying all their luggage, neither seemed to have tired a bit. They were supposed to be looking for a place to rent a speeder or something to take up to her parent's house, but weren't having any luck. "There was a place up on Palace Avenue, last time I was home," she said, knowing it wasn't far, by the street sign she was looking at.

"Where's that?" Anakin asked her.

"Up this way a couple of blocks."

He shifted the bags again, and headed in the direction she pointed. They arrived to find a nearly deserted speeder rental lot.

"Do you have something we could rent?" Anakin asked.

"We have a few things left. With it being Celebration Day tomorrow and all, I've mostly been wiped out."

"We understand. Do you have anything that we can fit the three of us, and our bags in?"

"I do, I do at that. But she's broken down on two customers today."

"Sorry to hear that. I do a little mechanic work, sometimes. Maybe I could take a look and see if she'll run for me?"

"That's mighty kind of you, sir, but I'm really not sure about it."

Anakin must have given him a slight nudge with the Force with his next statement, "I'm really a very good mechanic. You can trust me."

"Alright, young man. You can take a look, but it won't do you no good."

"Let me be the judge of that." Anakin said as they looked into the engine compartment of the vehicle that was giving the man trouble. He almost immediately diagnosed the problem, something quick and easy to fix, too, from the sound of it. She was glad.

* * *

Obi-Wan watched his former Padawan charm his way into a practically free ride out to Padmé's parent's house. He worried about Padmé; she was looking tired, and she wasn't used to being out this much. She was more used to being indoors, inside the Senate building, though being on her feet, which at least, she was used to. Sticking to their cover story, and ad-libbing it as necessary had permitted Anakin to do most of the talking. Obi-Wan discovered that his Padawan had as quick a mind for this story as he did on the battlefield. Diagnosing the problem had been a simple use of the Force, and fixing it had taken practically no time, since he'd used the Force to slip the parts into their proper place.

"I don't feel bad letting you take this one out, since you fixed that so handily. It would have taken me three times to get that right," the salesman, who's name was Gerrod, said.

Anakin acted quite bashful about his talents. "It was really nothing. I just have a knack for mechanics."

"You surely do. If you ever want a job, you can work here."

"I may take you up on that, but later. Father and my wife are anxious to get going to our relative's house."

"I can understand that. Well, let me know if you have any problems, and if you want to take me up on that job offer." Anakin shook the man's offered hand, and loaded the bags into the speeder, and they headed out to the Naberrie house.

"Well, Anakin, I'd say that man was quite impressed with you." Obi-Wan said as the speeder flew across the countryside.

"I'm a very good mechanic, Obi-Wan. You're just spoiled by so many years around me."

"You seem to think highly of yourself as well."

"It's about the only thing the Jedi never took from me," he said, not precisely angry, but upset.

"I really don't know what to say about that, Anakin. You understand the way of the Jedi, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, but only up here," he answered after a long pause, tapping his head.

"That's always been your problem, hasn't it?"

"What?"

"Your heart going its own way."

"I think that's a problem a lot of Jedi have, they just don't admit it."

Obi-Wan didn't feel comfortable with his Padawan's sudden insight, or maybe not so sudden insight. "What makes you think that?"

"Siri Tachi," he said calmly, but the name of his one love made him blush slightly. "I was looking through some of the older archives."

"Whatever for?" Obi-Wan said, shocked that his incredibly active apprentice would ever be in the library _voluntarily._

"I wanted to look at the Prophecy of the Chosen one."

"Oh."

"So, they didn't want to let me see it, but since I was there, I poked around what they did let me look at."

"And you found something that you now want to talk about," Obi-Wan said, not sure he wanted to hear Anakin's version of whatever he'd read.

"Oh, yes. I found something very interesting. I read the code of the Jedi."

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin as though he'd lost his mind. "The youngest younglings learn to read using the Jedi Code. _You_ learned to read using the Jedi Code."

"That claptrap you taught me is not the Jedi Code."

"It is the same as what I learned as a child."

"That's your problem."

"What?"

"It was ingrained into your consciousness from such an early age that you never questioned its validity."

"So what is the Jedi Code?" Obi-Wan asked, crossing his arms.

Anakin grinned. "I thought you'd never ask. Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force."

That is certainly different. I will take a look when I get back."

"It was changed about twenty-five hundred years ago."

"You put a good deal of research into this, then?"

"Some. Not as much as I would have liked. I couldn't find out why it was changed because the text about it is Master-level access."

"But I'm on the Council."

"So no one will think anything of it when you ask. But you weren't on the Council then. I was twelve when I started looking at this stuff, Master."

"You have me curious now, you devious boy. Why didn't you say anything about this before?"

"I thought you would see it as an attempt to justify my relationships with Padmé and my mother."

"I think you now know better." Obi-Wan said as they arrived at the Naberrie residence.

* * *

Palpatine rarely changed his mind once he'd decided to do something, but this was one of those times. He contacted General Grievous to alter his orders. Grievous was his sledgehammer, and Tyranus had been his chisel. He'd fully expected Anakin to fill that spot nicely, quietly, immediately. Anakin could do both, really, and better than either of his current tools. Now, something he needed a chisel for, extracting Anakin from the loving embrace of his family and his Master, he only had a sledgehammer for. Appealing to Grievous's personal sense of justice would likely effect a more favorable outcome.

"My Lord."

"I wish you to capture Anakin Skywalker. You should have enough devices in your possession to quell even him."

"What about the Senator?"

"She and Kenobi are to be killed in the most graphic way that you can think of. In front of him. Televise it. Show the Galaxy that their Hero has no power."

"May I kill him when I am done?"

"No, I have other tortures for the broken Hero. Bring him to me."


	8. Bombs Away!

**AN: I only received emails on the first two reviews therefore I think Fanfic is broken again. I have sent a couple of replies, but I'll go ahead and reply here.**

**Murdrax- Here is your update, and quickly too. I'll have to get back to Shadows of the Sith pretty soon though.**

**Lokigirl- The code is the code out of Tales of the Jedi, so I can't take credit for it. Tales of the Jedi takes place 4,000 years before ANH. **

* * *

Anakin hopped out of the speeder, first helping Padmé out, then busying himself with the luggage. He had a sudden chill of apprehension. Something was going on; it wasn't the upcoming confrontation with Ruwee and Jobal, of that he was certain, but it set his nerves on edge nonetheless. He juggled the bags, most of them actually not his wife's. She'd teased him that he'd brought more bags than she had. He hadn't known how long they'd be spending on Naboo, and thus he'd brought several projects to occupy himself with.

Padmé walked through the front door, and Obi-Wan followed, leaving him to enter last. She entered the dining room, and Anakin deposited the bags in the living room where they could be retrieved easily later. He caught up quickly, though. "I'm home, Mom," he heard her call into the kitchen.

"That's nice, dear," he heard Jobal say as she continued whatever task had her there. "Will you bring me some more carrots?"

Padmé giggled. "Sure, Mom. I brought guests, if that's ok."

"Really? I finally get to meet some of your Senator friends?"

"No, Mom they aren't Senators, and you've already met one of them."

She finally poked her head into the dining room to see the two Jedi. "Ah. I've seen you two on the Holonet. Are you here for a social visit then, or is it something more serious?"

"Not really, Mrs. Naberrie," Anakin answered. "It get's rather complicated, I think. I'd really rather not have to explain it twice."

"Well, I can wait for Ruwee to get home. He's teaching at the University."

"Sharing knowledge is always a noble pursuit." Obi-Wan said.

Having evaluated her guests to see how much additional food she would need to prepare, she directed Padmé to gather the supplies that she needed.

Anakin and Obi-Wan waited, apparently not needed in the kitchen, at least not at the moment. "Have you thought what you are going to say?"

"Yes, Master. I have actually put a good deal of thought into this over the last three years."

"Good. What's bothering you?"

"I don't know. It's not this, but there's something…wrong," he said, waiving his arms for emphasis.

"Well, so long as you aren't nervous," Obi-Wan said in a tone that said he was teasing.

"I didn't say that, Master. You asked what was bothering me. This doesn't."

"Do you have any notes on what you were researching?"

"I didn't bring them with me, but I made copies of most anything that I found interesting. I've started to develop a theory as to the true meaning of the Prophecy. I'd like to see it, if that could be arranged."

"I'll see what I can do. You know how Jocasta is."

"I know. She didn't seem to care that I thought I should be allowed to see a Prophecy of which I am the subject."

"That's not in the rules."

"Rules do not particularly apply to me."

"That is a point that I do not agree with you on."

"Some rules, anyway."

"Some rules do not apply to you because you are outside their bounds, but those are few and far between."

"Yes, Master."

"And so you will endeavor to follow all the rules that you can."

"Yes, Master."

"And stay away from the Chancellor."

"Yes, Master," he agreed again, but with a bit of a laugh as he said so, simply humoring Obi-Wan on this one, and Obi-Wan hadn't truly been serious.

"Ruwee will be home soon," Jobal said.

"Shall we set the table for you, Mrs. Naberrie?" Anakin asked solicitously.

"That will be fine. Padmé can show you where everything is."

Anakin nodded, moving into the kitchen, while she directed Obi-Wan to get the plates which were in the dining room already. Padmé showed him where the silverware was, "She's not happy, Ani."

"We'll reassure her later, once your father gets home. I really don't want to have to tell the story twice."

She nodded. "It's been difficult, not telling them how happy I am."

"I know," he said, having collected the silverware from the drawer, he went into the dining room, and set the table.

Jobal knew her husband well enough to be setting the stew on the table just as he entered the room. Padmé had already sat down, but rose to give her father a kiss, and he frowned as he saw her bulging stomach. "After dinner, we'll talk," she whispered to him, and he nodded unhappily.

They conversed through dinner about the war in the galaxy, not a pretty conversation topic, but a safe one.

* * *

Padmé was nervous as dinner concluded. She found it an odd irony that she could speak in front of ten thousand Senators without it bothering her, but to speak to her parents made her feel weak-kneed and slightly afraid. Obi-Wan was her dear friend, and he was supportive, and Anakin, her husband, was just as supportive, but it was her story to tell, for the most part.

"You've come here for a purpose, Padmé, you do nothing without purpose." Her mother said.

"I've come to tell you about some things, wonderful things, that I've been keeping secret."

"I can imagine at least one of those things," her father said crossly.

"I suppose that's a start. The twins do have a way of making their presence known."

"Twins?"

"Yes, I'm not due for another two and a half months."

"Dear, they have to have a father," her mother said gently.

"Yes, they do. He's here with me," she said, laying her hand on Anakin's. "We were married at Varykino over three years ago. It was kept secret to avoid a scandal."

"For you or for him?"

"For both of us. Neither of us was really thinking things through quite as clearly as we should have been."

"If you had, would you have still gotten married?" her father asked.

"I think so, but it could have waited some time, I think."

"Are Jedi not supposed to refrain from relationships?"

"We do not say what Anakin is supposed to do; he is a child of a great Prophecy." Obi-Wan interjected for her.

"So he is permitted this?" her father pressed.

"Marriage was permitted for all Jedi for a thousand generations. It is only very recently, so far as the history of the Jedi is concerned that marriage has been denied." Anakin said.

"Are you attempting to revive the Old Ways, then?"

"Working on it," he said roguishly.

"So why the secret?"

"It was a foolish thing. I was still a Padawan, and the Clone Wars had just started; she was in the Senate, trying to fight the CIS there, we worried about kidnapping attempts, more assassination attempts."

"So you have gained rank?"

"I am a Knight now, and I expect to be a Master within a reasonably short time."

"How old are you, son?" her father asked, and she knew he wouldn't really like the answer.

"I am twenty-three."

"Padmé," he said.

"I know, he was nineteen when we married, but it doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"He makes me incredibly happy. I feel complete when he's with me," she finally took the chance to look at him, his incredible blue eyes, and he smiled at her, but she could see the tension in his face.

"I need to go outside for a moment. I sense a disturbance in the Force," he said, looking at Obi-Wan, and the two of them rose together, and left the family alone.

"Does he do that often?"

"Not really. He was on edge all through dinner."

"I couldn't tell," her mother said.

"I'm sorry that we kept this from you."

"You're happy, though, really happy?"

"Yes, Mom. This is the best thing that's happened to me."

"Then I'm happy for you."

"Dad?"

"I'm disappointed that you thought that you had to hide this from us."

"We hid it from everyone."

"This Master Obi-Wan?"

"Anakin told him only a couple of weeks ago."

"He seems to accept it readily enough."

"Not if you know him better. Jedi are tougher to read than normal people, but I do well enough, at least with Obi-Wan."

"You know him well?"

"He's been a friend since I was Queen."

"Hard to think that you've known someone so influential for so long."

"I've known both of them since the Invasion."

"How old was he then, nine?"

"Yes, Dad. Stop picking and be happy."

He came over to her and folded her into his arms. "Only because you are in such a delicate condition."

* * *

"A disturbance in the Force, Padawan?"

He ignored the question, scanning the sky for the incoming ships that the Force was informing him were there. "There. An invasion," he pointed out the incoming streaks to Obi-Wan, but they bounced off the planetary shield.

"Those aren't ships, Anakin, those are bombs."

"Grievous."

"Do the Naberries have a bomb shelter?"

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "On Naboo?"

"Oh. It was a thought. They seem like perfectly sensible people to me."

"Perfectly sensible people on Naboo don't have bomb shelters. Perfectly sensible people most anywhere don't have bomb shelters."

"Well, we should take whatever shelter is available. That shield isn't going to last long."

"Let's go inside." Anakin said by way of agreement.

* * *

General Grievous watched the bombing of the planet Naboo. His orders didn't precisely include the complete devastation of Naboo, but nor did they expressly forbid it. Grievous did not want to occupy this troublesome world; it would be a waste of his limited resources. His overall plan was the complete eradication of all life on the planet, but he had to invade so that he could find his quarry, because simply killing them along with the rest of the civilian population was expressly forbidden. So he was softening them up for a full-scale invasion, hoping that the forces at his disposal would be sufficient to decimate any troops that were stationed on the planet. Attacking the Chancellor's planet would certainly raise the ire of the citizenry of the galaxy, but he was sure that the man he now knew to control the whole process would turn whatever he did to hate for the Republic. Perhaps for not having protected his home better. Grievous put the thoughts aside, focusing on the impending invasion fleet. He was going with his forces, into the heart of battle, after the pesky Jedi that the Chancellor had so graciously informed him were here. He took several different things with which he could subdue the pesky Jedi. It was going to be a good day.

Fifteen minutes of bombardment later, the shield faltered, allowing the first bombs to hit the surface. These were basically terror weapons, fission and fusion bombs, which would do as much damage to the ecosystem as the bombs themselves were doing to the infrastructure. Grievous smiled with each mushroom cloud that he saw. His troops, non-living as they were, would be unaffected by the increasing levels of radiation. The same could not be said for the Republic's clone troops. He liked these weapons; they were cheap, and extremely effective. Ten were less than a single droideka. The next phase of his bombardment was a chemical attack, and then a biological attack would follow. He focused on the major cities: Theed, Vis, Oxon City, Parrlay, Keren, New Centrif, Spinnaker, and Harte Secur. Much to Grievous's irritation, the Gungan cities would have to wait until he could verify their locations. The weapons he was using were cheap, but not that cheap. It was time to go with his invasion forces. He headed for the landing ships.


	9. Run to Alderaan

Padmé watched as Obi-Wan walked calmly inside, though he was far from being calm.

"Obi-Wan, what is it?" Padmé asked, sounding alarmed, having discerned his discomfort with the situation. Anakin had trailed in a couple of steps behind him.

"Grievous," Anakin answered.

"Here?" she asked, as she unconsciously put her hands to her mouth in surprise.

"Here," Obi-Wan answered her. "We must get to shelter, or preferably, off the planet."

"What about the ship?" she asked.

"We cannot return to Theed, milady, Grievous will definitely occupy the city. It won't be safe," he said sympathetically, patting her arm. She looked at Anakin, who looked angry, scary angry.

"He won't get away with this, I swear it!" Anakin said through clenched teeth.

"No, Anakin he won't get away with it, but for now we must be calm and focused on surviving," Obi-Wan said sounding concerned about the sudden shift in his former Padawan.

Anakin let out a breath and seemed to calm down, "Of course, Master. You are, as always right. I only hope one day I have your wisdom,"

"You will, my friend. Now, Senator, do you know of any place we might secure transport that won't be subject to orbital bombardment?"

"We can go to the sheltered ships. I have high enough clearance to get in, and we won't need a pilot, so they shouldn't have a problem with us taking one of them." Padmé said, her mind starting to work to get them out of there.

"What kind of ships are they?" Anakin asked.

"Transports for the most part, why?" Padmé responded.

"We have a blockade to run; we need a ship that can last long enough to make the jump to hyperspace."

"Of course, I'm not sure what is there exactly." Padmé said.

"No matter, if your husband is half the pilot the HoloNet makes him out to be we'll be in good hands, now," her father said.

"What about your sister?" her mother asked.

"We can have them meet us. It's not that far."

"Is there anyone else that we would need to take?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sola, Darred, Ryoo, and Pooja. I can't think of anyone else that we would be able to get in contact with quickly." Padmé said sadly, after a moment's thought. The first occupation had been bad. She knew in her bones this one would be worse and she felt guilty for being able to save her own family when so many would have to suffer.

"Where are these sheltered ships?"

"South of here, in the country. It's not that far, but it's rugged country. Most people don't know that there is a route that you can take a speeder in, but that's part of its advantage."

"I'll call Sola," her father said, heading for the comm station.

"I'll put everything back in the speeder. Do you have anything that you need to bring?" Anakin asked her mother.

"I'll pack a few things. We'll need clothes, but I don't think there's much else that I couldn't live without."

"Take only what you need to survive," he said, gathering several of the cases that he had brought, putting them in the speeder.

"I'll need some traveling clothes, too. I didn't pack much. Most of what I have on Coruscant is what I wear to the Senate, or out," Padmé said, heading after her mother.

"We should leave in the next ten minutes if possible, the shield won't last much beyond that," Obi-Wan called up the stairs after them.

"We'll hurry," Padmé called down to him.

* * *

Obi-Wan drove nervously according to the directions that Padmé was giving him. She was sitting in the front, having stuck Anakin in the back between her parents. The shield had lasted far longer than he thought it would, either Grievous was being gentle, or he didn't want to cause too much damage to the surface from stray shots impacting after the shield collapsed. Anakin was becoming slightly moody again. _Slightly only because I've seen what moody is for Anakin. Were it anyone else, I would say he was very moody,_ he thought to himself as he glanced back at his sulking former Padawan. 

"Relax, Anakin, tensing up isn't going to help anyone," he said to the man he'd come to love as a brother.

"I'm sorry Master. I just feel like there is disaster coming. And soon."

As soon as the words left Anakin's mouth the shield failed in a bright flash, like red lightning. Then from the north a bigger flash happened, from the glow on the road in front of them, Obi-Wan thought it was Naboo's sun, but it was from the wrong direction. The speeder cut out in that moment, crashing to the path with a jolt and sliding to a stop. Only some quick Force work from Anakin and himself prevented their deaths.

"Don't look yet!" He cautioned everyone, only when the intense light began to fade did he risk a glance back. What he saw chilled his bones to the marrow. A giant cloud rose into the air, the stem was easily tens of kilometers tall and it was capping out into a mushroom.

"He didn't," Anakin breathed in horror at the sight.

"He did. I knew he was a monster, but this…" Obi-Wan was interrupted by another flash near the first cloud. He shielded his eyes quickly. Padmé and her parents screamed.

"By the Force…"Obi-Wan sighed in shock.

"Doesn't he know what they'll do?" Anakin asked, the fire of outrage in his voice.

"Yes, Anakin. I'm sure he knows precisely what they'll do. I dare say he chose them for that very reason,"

"What are you talking about?" Padmé asked.

"Those aren't normal bombs. They are old style fission or fusion devices. That is why the speeder cut out on us. We aren't safe here; it won't be long before the fallout from the bombs get here. I mourn for your loss, Padmé, Mr. and Mrs. Nabarrie," Obi-Wan said somberly.

"What do you mean, Master Jedi?" Jobal asked, his voice betraying the dread he felt.

"Naboo is dying," Obi-Wan said and found he couldn't face his brother's in-laws any longer.

* * *

They met up with Padmé's sister and her family; they were on foot their speeder suffering the same fate when the bombs went off. Obi-Wan was grateful that it hadn't started to rain yet. They weren't that far from the city. Anakin was using the Force to trail their bags along behind them, and when Sola's family had joined them, he moved the bags they were carrying into the group. It gave him something to do with himself so that he didn't have time to worry.

"How long does it take for rain to reach here from Theed?" he asked.

"If the winds are right half a day, but it's not common that we get rain from there," Ruwee answered. Obi-Wan nodded the news making him more optimistic about their chances. During the hike he and Anakin had answered the family's questions about what was happening. No one had said much as the Jedi described the horrors these primitive weapons caused. Padmé and her parents were in shock and it pained Obi-Wan to see the look on their faces. It was the look of a solider too long in the field. The clones called it the thousand meter death glare due to the fact that the clones that started looking like that had stopped caring if they lived or died.

The long road was wearing somewhat on everyone's nerves, but they were heading farther away from the city, away from danger.

"Why would Grievous attack Naboo?" Padmé's mother asked. "He tried before, and it was so unsuccessful that he never tried again."

"Propaganda. This is the Chancellor's homeworld," Anakin said.

"The thought of what will be said about this sickens me, almost as much as the act itself," Padmé said.

"There is another possibility," Obi-Wan said.

"What is that, Master?" Anakin asked.

"Us."

"How would he know you were here?" Padmé asked.

"You left the Senate. It wouldn't have been too much of a stretch for someone who knows the Senate intimately, perhaps someone who works in the Chancellor's office, and would have had access to the Jedi deployment records. Anakin being taken off active duty with no good explanation at the same time that you disappeared apparently was quite suspicious to someone. Grievous and the Separatists have an extensive intelligence network, after all."

"We've walked into enough mynock storms to prove it, haven't we, Master," Anakin commented.

"And you think that he's after the two of you, Master Jedi?" Jobal asked.

"He has been quite trying, and the two of us especially have caught his eye. We are constantly escaping his grasp and it doesn't do well for his temperament," Anakin responded.

"Why is he after the two of you in particular?"

"Well, he has yet to defeat us. That is one thing. Anakin seems to have a penchant for enjoying tormenting him as well. We are Jedi, and he has made it his personal goal to destroy all of us he can." Obi-Wan answered.

"And you don't think we can win this battle," Jobal said.

"This isn't a battle, it's a slaughter. Nothing but mass murder."

"Master Obi-Wan is right. Our presence would have little effect on this. Once we get off planet, we will make contact with the Council, and they will send people to clean up the mess that he's made." Anakin said to her, looking at his hands. Obi-Wan knew how hard it was for Anakin to admit that he actually couldn't help in this particular case, and despite the gravity of the situation that they were in, he felt that Anakin being able to say it was nothing short of a miracle.

"Will we be able to clean up, as you put it, Naboo, so that it is as it was before?" Jobal asked, knocking Obi-Wan out of his reverie.

"I don't know. It has been tens of thousands of years since these types of weapons have been used." Obi-Wan said, grieving on the inside for those that were dying across the planet, innocents that happened to get in the way of Grievous's bombs and troops. They arrived at the shelter then, and hurried inside, along with Sola and her family.

"Senator Amidala!" one of the guards cried out, seeing her. "We had heard that you were in hiding because of more assassination attempts, but we had no idea that you had come home."

"I did. I'm almost sorry that I did, but I don't think that not being here would have prevented General Grievous from attacking."

"Assassination attempts?" Jobal asked worriedly.

"Nothing more than usual, Mom, don't worry."

"Someone trying to kill you is not a normal thing," Ruwee said.

She frowned at her father. "I am a controversial political figure, Dad. You have to remember Nute Gunray is a prominent leader of the Separatists and this wouldn't be the first time he's tried to have me killed."

"And asking you to stop being controversial would mean compromising your integrity," Ruwee said wearily.

She nodded, and then turned back to the guard. "I know it's asking a lot, but we need to get off planet, the weapons Grievous is using are poisoning our world. You are welcome to come with us."."

"Any ship you want, milady, is yours. As for your kind offer, I'm not worried about poison, I intend to fight." The guard told her.

"Then you are dead already," Anakin said.

"Is it really that bad?" the guard asked.

"My husband is never one to exaggerate. Your bravery makes me proud, but don't throw your life away. Naboo will need that courage if we are to have any kind of future," Padmé said.

The guard simply nodded then said, "I don't know if you'll make it out around whatever ships he has in orbit."

"That's what I'm here for. I'm the best pilot in the galaxy," Anakin said with no hint of the pride that was usually in his voice when he talked about his piloting skills.

"The best in the galaxy, huh? The way I hear it, that would be Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi of quite a reputation. You don't look like him, your hair is too long, and if you're a Jedi, where are your robes, and your lightsaber?"

It took Anakin all of half a second to pull his lightsaber out of the sheath in his boot and turn it on. "I am in disguise to help protect the Senator," he said over the hum.

The shocked look on the guard's face was enough for Anakin, and he put his lightsaber away, and said, "Come on, Master, let's go find a suitable ship."

Obi-Wan just shook his head and followed as they looked for a 'suitable' ship.

* * *

Anakin got all the bags into the ship that they'd chosen as his in-laws fussed over Padmé, and went to the cockpit. He knew better than to get overly fussy with her, but apparently her sister and mother were exempted from her annoyance at that particular trait. He started the ship, and slipped into contact with the Force. He would need all of his skill and speed to ensure that they got out of there safely. He wasn't feeling well and he knew it was the effect of the bombs on the planet. Too many life forms were sickening and dying from the radiation. He felt Obi-Wan settle into the co-pilot's seat next to him, and start to do what needed done from there. 

"If I never have to go through a fusion bombing again it will be too soon," Obi-Wan said.

"Yes, I feel vaguely sick and achy," Anakin said. Grateful beyond words that they had been a team so long that words were no longer necessary for either of them to know what needed done, he was able to just talk to his mentor, while he maintained his hyper-alert state, ready to punch into hyperspace at the instant that they were on the proper trajectory. They had decided to go to Alderaan. It was not far, and Bail Organa was a good friend to the Jedi and to Padmé. He caught a glimpse of Naboo and what he saw sickened him, the once beautiful blue green sphere was now a sickly gray, flashes of destruction as the bombardment continued.

"He seems to be determined to render the planet uninhabitable," Obi-Wan said, sadly.

"Do you think Naboo will recover?" Anakin asked.

"I do not know."

Incoming fire distracted him for a moment, but he rolled the ship around it. The passengers felt nothing, the artificial gravity and inertial dampeners doing their jobs well. He worked through fire that would have brought down the ship of any lesser being than the Chosen One, but he dodged it all with every bit of grace and speed that the ship he was flying possessed. He made his heading as quickly as possible, to Kalarba first, he would calculate the heading for Alderaan later, and shot into hyperspace as soon as he was able. Once the ship was safe from attack, he nearly collapsed as he released his stranglehold on the Force.

"You know, Anakin, I don't know anyone else who could have done that. Though the last time I ran a blockade, I had yet to meet you, and, well I suppose if we'd been entirely successful, I would have never met you."

"It wasn't easy, Master."

"I realize that, but it's on the order of impossible. Though you have a habit of making the impossible merely difficult."

"Thank you, Master. I'm going to go steal my wife away from her family so I can sleep."

"Can't you sleep without her?"

He grinned. "Not as well," he said, getting up and heading toward the back. He felt out slightly to see what mood Padmé was in, and found that she was nearly as exhausted as he, and trying to hide it from Sola and Jobal.

"Padmé," he looked pleadingly at her, "It's nearly midnight; you should have been in bed hours ago," he chastised her slightly, realizing that it would be easy to claim fatigue, but easier to say that things needed to be a certain way because of the twins.

"It is?" she asked, but she got up, and he felt how glad that she was that he had come to rescue her.

"Well, on Coruscant it is. I know it's not on Naboo, but you haven't gotten adjusted to that schedule yet," he answered her.

"Now that you mention it, I am a little tired. Maybe I should go to bed."

"Good idea. Obi-Wan said he would watch the ship, since I got us into hyperspace without getting us shot."

"How many ships were you dodging?"

"They didn't send fighters after us, thankfully, but I was dodging big cannons from three ships," he said, then yawned, unable to suppress it in time.

"You look like you'll be out for the next twelve hours. Let's go," Padmé said, and linked her arm in his, and they went to the cabin that seemed to be set up for the Captain of the ship. He helped her out of her dress, one that was not as complicated as those she usually wore, but she wasn't quite as nimble fingered as she usually was, and then he changed into sleeping pants, and was out before she was.

* * *

Grievous led the droid army to the surface, and they were near Theed or what was left of Theed. The orbital bombardment had focused on the spaceports, and that had left the palace district intact. The information that his master had sent him on the Senator had not been specific on where she and Skywalker would be hiding. 

The main army of droids swept through Theed, as he and a group of Droidekas avoided the main city, instead going to the Theed Palace. Grievous hoped the Queen would still be alive for questioning. He was pleased at the effect these weapons had. Indeed the arms dealer he'd bought them from had sold their horror short. Grievous smiled as he thought about what these weapons would do to Corusucant or another heavily populated world. The nature of the war had fundamentally changed now. Sidious and the Sith would be damned and Grievous would rule an Empire.

He walked through the Palace, it had been badly damaged, and fires burned nearby. The once beautiful building was dark with soot and scorch marks. The Palace guards weren't putting up much of a fight as they were hunched over heaving in their own vomit. Their hair was also falling out. Grievous took satisfaction at seeing the suffering. He was also pleased to find survivors, survivors that couldn't fight. His excitement about these weapons grew.

He finally reached the Queen's audience chamber where he found her. She was in no better shape than her guards, but had managed to keep her dignity. She was beautiful by human standards, and that beauty shown through even the radiation sickness. He was surprised when she stood, her stance was weak, and hunched, but her eyes held a fire of defiance.

Grievous spoke first, "Where is the Senator of Naboo? I know they came to this planet and I intend to find them!"

"I will tell you NOTHING, monster. When the rest of the Galaxy hears what you did here they will hunt you down like the beast you are," the Queen said, her voice defiant, if weak, though her cough at the end spoiled the effect for Grievous.

"Very well, Your Highness, you will be the last of your people to die from the radiation. Sergeant! See that she is awake every moment as she dies."

"Roger, Roger," the droid said.

Grievous left the Queen then and there. He went out of the palace into the ruined city of Theed. He quickly located a droid commander.

"Report," he called to the droid commander as he walked over.

The commander responded in short order. "The city is subdued, General."

"Very good. I need to know where these blasted Jedi could have gone to."

"Would you like me to interrogate the citizens about the whereabouts of the Jedi, sir?"

"No, doubtless they were in disguise. It would be more beneficial to interrogate them about the places a high level official such as the Senator Amidala could have gone."

"Very well, sir. I will see to it. We have the Prince of Theed as well as the Queen in custody. Perhaps we can get some information from one of them."

"Any other officials?"

"The Governor of the providence is also in residence, but we have yet to enter his home to capture him. There are several droids at each entrance. I was hoping to delay entering that building until Droidekas could be summoned for that task."

"Proceed. Contact me in one hour, regardless of what you have found, and less time if you can give me the information that I desire."

"Roger, roger," the droid captain said.


	10. Worry, and nearly there

**AN:Sorry that it's taken me so long to get this chapter up. Writer's block and personal problems, as well as school kicking my butt have really pushed this story to the back burner.**

Beth Weasley:**Welcome. Naboo will eventually be fine, but it may be a long time until it is. **

**To everyone else: So far the twins are going to be fine; they got off the planet in just a few hours after the bombing started and therefore either weren't exposed or were exposed very little to the radiation. I'll go into that more when they get to Alderaan.**

* * *

"They are still sleeping." Obi-Wan said. Padmé's mother had come up to the cockpit to get away a bit, or so he'd gathered from her emotional state. They had brought the guards from the facility that had held this ship, and so it was slightly cramped.

"Yes, but they've been asleep for most of the day," her worry washed over him.

"I believe that they explained to you that they were still sleeping according to the Coruscanti clock," he reminded her. He wasn't about to disturb the young couple, and didn't think anyone else should either.

"So what time is it, according to that?"

"Eight in the morning."

"So shouldn't they be up?"

"They would ordinarily be up, but both of them had a rough day yesterday. I doubt we will see either of them before noon."

"I think everyone had a rough day yesterday."

"Yes, but no one else is either six months pregnant, nor did any of you use every bit of skill and a considerable amount of luck to avoid this ship being fired upon. I do not think that letting them sleep in will do either one of them harm," he said, and if Anakin had heard the tone, he would have said Obi-Wan was angry enough at being questioned to need to be left alone. That wasn't the case, as it usually wasn't when he used it with Anakin, but he had tired of the conversation and did want to be left alone about what the two of them were doing, which was sleeping, something both of them desperately needed.

"Well, I suppose we can wait a little longer," she said, though she didn't sound convinced of the fact.

Obi-Wan smiled, a tiny little smile that barely reached the corners of his mouth, but a smile nonetheless. She was reasonable after all. He returned to watching the controls, content that she would leave her younger daughter alone.

* * *

Anakin opened one eye, and saw that they were on a ship. Not a particularly unusual condition for him, but he was unaccustomed to having Padmé there with him. He remembered what he had been doing and where they were going, and looked at the chronometer on the wall, which was set to Naboo time. He roughly estimated that they'd been asleep for ten hours, and needed to be up. "Padmé, Angel, time to wake up," he whispered into her ear, snuggling closer to her.

She rolled over in his direction, and snuggled into him. "It's really time to get up, Angel, I promise."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him from where she'd buried her face in his chest. "I don't want to get up."

"But Obi-Wan will know that we're awake now, and he won't wait too terribly long for us to get out of bed," he said as he trailed his fingers down her arm, giving her goose bumps.

"Why do you have to bring logic into this?"

"Because, as much as I'd love to stay here, we won't be allowed. So, I think it would be better to be dressed when we are assaulted with the unwanted attention of the people who love us," he said as he trailed his fingers back up her bare arm.

She sighed, but relented. "So let's get dressed," she said, and they got out of bed.

Padmé looked out into the gray of hyperspace, but she didn't really see it. It was merely a backdrop for her grey mood. She felt like she was letting her planet down, like she was running away. She knew that she had the twins to protect, and that her presence on the planet wouldn't have made a difference one way or the other, but she felt guilty nonetheless. She didn't notice when Anakin came up behind her until he put his hands in her hair. He enjoyed making a complete mess of her hair. He would have called it something else, but she didn't know quite what. He was finger-combing the loose curls, trying to get her to relax.

"Relax, Angel. The Jedi will mount a full-scale retaliation against Grievous as soon as they can. The Chancellor will insist upon it."

"Yes, Grievous made a mistake with this. I'm scared for Naboo, Ani," she said, her pregnancy making her uncharacteristically emotional.

He turned her around, wrapping his arms around her. "We're almost to Alderaan, and Bail will raise a stink so big that the Senate will have no choice but to send out every resource that they have to clean up the mess that he made. Every effort will go into this, Angel, I know it."

"Anakin, can you watch the cockpit?" Obi-Wan asked from behind him.

He released her, and turned to face Obi-Wan. "Yes, Master, I think I can handle that."

"Good. I'm going to sleep," and as he said that, she realized that he probably had been up for something like forty-eight hours.

"Go on, Obi-Wan. I'll keep him company and make sure he does his job."

"I doubt that will be entirely necessary, milady, but thank you. I'm sure Anakin will appreciate the company."

* * *

"Your report, Captain." Grievous said to the standard model droid in front of him.

"Sir, we have penetrated the governor's defenses. Interrogations of all prisoners is proving nearly fruitless. No one has seen the Senator, or at least no one is admitting to it. No one knows where she could have gone, other than her parent's home, a search of which found it deserted. It is just outside the capital if you wish to see it."

"That is not necessary," he said, balling his hand into a fist, slamming into the durasteel wall next to him. "They have departed the planet. Round up your troops, we will depart within the hour."

"Roger, roger," the droid said, saluting, and left.

Grievous headed back to his shuttle, and went back to the ship in orbit. The radiation had the single detrimental side effect of interfering with communications.

* * *

Palpatine was slightly surprised to hear from Grievous so quickly after the attack should have happened. "Your report?"

"They somehow found a ship and got away. I'll send you footage of the escape. I have no doubt it was those damnedable Jedi."

"I understand. What heading were they on?"

"Coreward. I don't know more, and even if I did have a good heading on them, they probably will have changed headings at least once already."

"I shall consider this. The attack on Naboo?"

"It went well enough."

"I shall make that decision, and considering you allowed the Jedi to escape, I have to say otherwise."

"Yes, Master."

"Very well. I shall take a look at this footage of yours and see what I can make of it."

He cut off that portion of the transmission, and as soon as the footage in question was fully loaded onto his system, he cut the transmission off. It wouldn't do to have anyone picking up on the not-quite-proper transmissions coming from his office.

He watched the incredible display of acrobatics with no small amount of distain. It was patently obvious that Skywalker had been in the pilot's seat. The thing that concerned him the most was the scene in the background. The bombing pattern that he saw looked like Grievous had essentially blanketed the planet. The mushroom cloud shape was familiar, but not immediately so. They weren't normal bombs; they were something older, more dangerous. He was not pleased.

He thought for a while as to what to do about this little problem, finally deciding to make it into a threat against the peace of the Republic. He started writing a script. General Grievous would be doing his best performance that day, or he would die that night.


	11. Alderaan

Padmé watched as Anakin piloted their ship into the Alderaanian spaceport. She'd had to pull rank on the flight controller, and so Bail Organa had been immediately notified of their presence. He, fortunately, had been on the planet, and not on Coruscant. Padmé was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, not that Anakin needed any help. She looked onto the landing platform, and saw that Bail and Breha were waiting for them to arrive. "Just what I didn't want," she said with a sigh.

"Well, love, it's not too late to turn around and go somewhere else. They will wonder why, though."

"It's alright. I'm just not…"

"You aren't ready to face people who have no idea what you've been going through, and who've been seeing you all of this time?"

"Something like that. There's also that Breha's been trying to have a baby, and she miscarried a few weeks ago. The doctors told her the next time would probably kill her."

"So you would feel like you were rubbing it in her face even though you had absolutely no intention of doing it?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, I think so. I think being around her right now will make me feel guilty, because I have been trying not to get pregnant, and did it anyway, and she's been trying to get pregnant and can't carry the child to term."

"Well," he said as the ship shuddered as it touched down, "the only think that we can do is to try not to flaunt it, but also not to hide it. As far along as you are, it's going to be nearly impossible to do that anyway."

"When did you get so smart?"

He suddenly became serious. "I've watched a lot of my friends lose their Masters, and a lot of Masters lose their Padawans. It seems like it's easier on the person who's dealing with their loss if people just act normally around them. Tiptoeing around the issue doesn't help them any, and it only makes the pain more acute. I don't suppose that she will feel any different, it's just a different kind of loss."

"I'm sorry, Anakin."

"There were a couple of times that I thought I was one of those who'd lost their Master, and Obi-Wan thought at least once that I was dead, too. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to Jabiim, but thankfully I don't think I'll have to."

"No, my former Padawan, I don't think that the Council will be that cruel. Are the two of you ready to face the gathering crowd?" Obi-Wan said from behind them, and they turned in unison to see him.

"I believe that we are as ready as we will ever be, Obi-Wan," Padmé said, and she stood up.

Anakin simply stood behind her, gathering her into her protective embrace, nuzzling her hair, which brought her protests. "I don't need you mussing my hair up so that it looks like I just got out of bed either."

"As you wish, Angel," he said, and he released her, but when she turned to face him, his grin showed him to be unrepentant.

"You behave," she said, shaking her finger at him.

"When do I not?" he asked, trying to look innocent. And failing.

"You always behave like _something_, usually a bantha in a china shop, but I think a nice humble Jedi Knight would be a good act for you to adopt at the moment, don't you?"

Acting wounded, he followed her and Obi-Wan out into the ship's common area. But he did start behaving himself.

* * *

Anakin quietly listened as those around him talked. Padmé's family had opted to go to the guest rooms that they had been offered, rather than to listen to Padmé and Bail talk politics.

"We heard about Naboo," Bail said as they entered his estate.

"Already? How?" Padmé asked, shocked at how quickly the news had spread.

Bail shook his head. "It's on the HoloNet," he said, and he flipped it on.

A voice that Obi-Wan and Anakin both knew quite well came over the speakers. "People of the Galaxy, you are fighting a losing war against the CIS," he watched, sickened as the image that was being played was one of the bombing, "We are the most powerful force in this Galaxy now. Even the planet of the Chancellor is not safe from our reach. We will show the Galaxy that this cause is just, if it requires that we do it one planet at a time."

"Turn that off, I can't watch anymore," Padmé said, and Bail complied.

"What does he think he's going to accomplish, putting out a piece like that?" Anakin exclaimed angrily, but a warning glance from Obi-Wan subdued him quickly.

"I don't think he is the origination of what we saw today," Obi-Wan said.

"You mean the Sith," Anakin said, catching on.

"I mean precisely that," Obi-Wan said.

"We need to come up with a strategy to defeat this person, whoever it is," Anakin said.

"Yes, but you have your task for the moment. We can talk about Sith Lords later," Obi-Wan admonished him.

Anakin bowed his head slightly, "Yes, Master."

"And I will need to return to Coruscant as soon as I can. I must report what has gone on to the Council."

"You are leaving so soon, Master?"

"I fear so, Anakin. I will return in a few days. I'm sure that you can stay out of trouble for that long without me looking over your shoulder," Obi-Wan said.

"I understand, Master," Anakin said.

"Good," Obi-Wan said as one of the members of the Organas' house staff came into the room.

"Dinner will be served in ten minutes in the Grand Dining Hall," she said, and bowed and left.

"Well, shall we?" Bail said, indicating the way to the dining room.

"Yes, that would be much appreciated," Padmé said. "You have been very quiet tonight, Breha."

"Oh, I am just so shocked that the war has come to this," Breha said, shaking her head, "Invading your planet, of all things," she said, pausing for a few moments as she decided how to say what she next wanted to say, "I consider you a good friend, Padmé, but you were home for less than a day, and now…"

"I went home to try to keep my public life and my private one separate," Padmé answered, trying to be delicate about what she said to Breha. "I don't suppose that will be possible now."

Breha's smile at her statement seemed more genuine the second time, "Oh, dear, I can understand, at least a little. I'm not always sure that I want to deal with all the goings on of Coruscant, but I had no idea that you were going to be a mother."

"Oh, it came as a bit of a shock to me as well," she said, "I only hope that what happened on Naboo didn't hurt them."

"Them?" Breha asked, slightly taken back.

Padmé nodded shyly, "Twins," she said softly.

"A double blessing then," Breha said.

Padmé smiled. "Yes, they truly will be."

"I'm happy for you," Breha said, and Padmé smiled more brilliantly, having discovered that Anakin's advice seemed to be holding true. "If you would like, I can arrange for you to see one of the Obstetricians here on Alderaan."

"That is kind of you, Breha, and it would put my mind at ease if you could."

"I would be happy to," she said. Breha's heart was truly a kind one and she should have been one to have lots of children to lavish her love on. Anakin felt sorry for her, and he hoped that there was something else that they could do for her. They arrived in the dining room, and it was indeed quite grand. The table, he estimated because he didn't want to count, could seat forty. There were place settings all at one end, the head of the table, for everyone.

* * *

Obi-Wan thought about what he was planning to do as he headed back to Coruscant. There were so many different things going on that he didn't have a handle on. The Prophecy of the Chosen one, the Jedi Code, the interaction between the CIS and the Sith Lord who also seemed to be in control of the Senate, Palpatine's place in all of it, and Anakin's place in everything were just the first few things he had to worry over. There was also the war, what he was going to tell the Council about Anakin, the twins, and any number of other goings on. _Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force_. A different interpretation of the Code, to be sure, but was it better? Did it allow for more liberty within its confines? Was it a more true understanding of the Jedi way?

He walked through the ship again. It was a simple passenger liner, nothing fancy, but Bail had ensured that he was able to travel without anyone bothering him overly much. The Jedi Temple would ensure that he was compensated, if he hadn't just used his Senatorial expense account. He wondered briefly if that was the case, but he had more important, or at least more immediate concerns.

Obi-Wan sat down finally, pulling out his datapad, and starting a list of everything he needed to take care of once he was back on Coruscant. Putting his thoughts in order helped him calm down, and it made the time pass quickly.

* * *

Palpatine waited. The outrage of the citizens of the Galaxy was pressing on the Senate. There would be a day soon when the Senate would act. The citizens would want this war to be over soon. Not that they didn't already, but they would be more apt to make their voices heard.

The Senate would try to put more pressure on him. He would in turn be expected to put more pressure on the Jedi. They would crack one by one until there were none of them left. There needed to also be the leaking of his status as the Sith Lord. That would seal their fate. It was not time yet for that, though. He had hoped to end the war sooner rather than later, but it was not to be. So he waited, and looked for another potential apprentice. There were so many of them among the Jedi that held the potential to fall. If he could not have the best of them yet, any of them would do for the moment, as Dooku had done.


	12. Double Checking

**AN: I want to welcome iloveewansmile to this fic (I'm sure you've read and reviewed at least one other thing I've written...) and thank everyone for reviewing. I have 1 1/2 finals left (blech) but all that nastyness will be over Thursday. I will then be more free to write, though that tends to make me more lazy and write less, as perverse as that sounds. Ah well. **

**MrPowell: Well, I haven't quite decided yet, but I think one of my maybe more favorite EU characters, but I don't know. If anyone wants to make a particular suggestion as to who Palpatine or Grievous should set his sights on, please, I am open to suggestions. **

* * *

Padmé went with Anakin and Breha to the office of the obstetrician that Breha had contacted. He seemed like a very pleasant man, and he was friendly and had a kind nature. Anakin had been forced to wait in the waiting room, with 'guard duties' not being a good enough reason for him to be permitted into the exam room. Her secret might have been exposed to the greater world, but that was no reason for his to be. It had taken both her persuasion power and a good dose of common sense from Obi-Wan to get him to see reason on that particular issue. It hadn't been easy, even with both of them trying to convince him, though it hadn't taken as long as she thought it would. 

"Alright, let's see what we have going on with you today," he said as he came in. "Have you been seeing anyone for your condition?"

"Just a medical droid."

"That's fine. Everything normal so far?"

"Well, everything except that I was on Naboo yesterday."

His expression turned suddenly very serious. "I see. How long were you on Naboo after the bombing started?"

"A few hours. We were not there for very long."

"That will work in your favor. You don't seem to be suffering any ill effects yet, but I'd like to take a blood sample of both you and the babies to test for radiation damage, and the general level in your blood stream, and all those normal tests that you've probably had a dozen times," he said, smiling.

"Yes, Doctor," she agreed. "How are you going to get a blood sample from the babies?"

He was poking her stomach at that moment, causing one of the twins to kick at his hand. "Well, I think that both of them are close enough to the surface that I will be able to do it with a needle. It's somewhat risky, though. The procedure does puncture the amniotic sac, which could lead to you going into labor. You are far enough along that I'm not really worried about the twin's survival rate at this point. If you were to go into labor today, you would in all likelihood deliver two perfectly healthy babies. They won't like it, though, and will probably be agitated for the rest of the day. The alternative is to wait and test them after they are born, but if this is going to do damage to them, there are treatments that we can do that will minimize the extent of the damage, and we could get started on those immediately."

She thought about it for a few moments while he continued his examination. "Go ahead and test the babies. I don't want them to be hurt if I can avoid it."

"Very well," he said, and went into another room.

He brought back a portable imager, and two sets of needles. "Alright, we can get started," he said, and she nodded.

* * *

General Grievous found that being the personal toy of the current Dark Lord of the Sith was not a position that allowed for mistakes. Or personal freedom, for that matter. And that was the reason he was being punished. He had defied his Master's orders, while carrying them out to the letter.

"You are a pawn in this game, Grievous, nothing more. You are useful, but easily discarded."

"Yes, Master," he said, repeating the only phrase that had yet to infuriate Sidious.

"I do not discard you, though," Sidious said as he paced up and down the cell in front of Grievous's limp form, coming to a stop directly in front of him. "Do you know why that is?"

"No, my Master," he replied, utterly confused.

Sidious smiled, an evil nasty smile, but not unlike the one Grievous himself had worn when he was not a mostly mechanical being. "Because it would be wasteful to do so. I would gain nothing by your death except your death. You have earned your death, make no mistake, and I will gladly give it to you. But for now, I will let you live. You do have your uses. If you displease me again, you will meet your maker."

His mechanical body responded to the lightning that Sidious was using to torture him. It wasn't quite enough to short out his circuits; he was sure that his body had been designed with that fact in mind. His failure to capture the Jedi was what had really caused Sidious's displeasure, but the bombing of Naboo was also displeasing. Lessons at Sidious's hand were painful, he was discovering. He would not die from this, but it would be a close thing.

Grievous had lately discovered that his Master was a being of many talents. "Your mind has been wandering away from your lesson," Sidious said.

"I am sorry, my Master," he said, knowing it was useless to deny the fact.

"You have done well enough today for me to allow you to live, and continue to serve me. I require your talents, otherwise we would continue this lesson tomorrow," Sidious said, dropping a datapad in front of Grievous. "You will find one of the people on this list and bring them to me. All are equally talented in the Force, and I view them as relatively equal in the amount of trouble they will be to make into proper Sith. You will use stealth in obtaining the person of your choosing. You will bring them to me. You have two weeks. Do not fail me again, Grievous."

Sidious left, and Grievous wondered if he realized that he'd left instructions to do a task, without removing his restraints. It slowly dawned on him that that had been part of the point.

* * *

Obi-Wan walked into the Great Library, and Jocasta Nu greeted him. "What can I help you find, Master Kenobi?"

"I would like to see the Prophecy of the Chosen One."

"Certainly, it is here," she said, indicating a small alcove. "Master Windu was just looking at it, and I haven't put it away. Is there anything else you would like?"

"Yes. I would like any texts from the time that this was written. Especially anything about the Jedi Code from that far back."

"Certainly, Master Kenobi," she said, and just as she was about to leave she turned to him and asked, "Is there anything in particular that you are researching? Perhaps I can help you narrow the field."

"You can start with items that are Padawan-level access. I should be able to tell from there what I will need that is more restricted."

"Thank you," she said. He had just lightened her workload considerably. He pulled out the datapad that Anakin had made notes on. He had actually put, from the looks of it, hours upon hours of reading into figuring the prophecy out without being able to actually look at the thing.

So he started to read the prophecy, while he waited on the other books Anakin had been reading. He realized that this was the original, not any of the translations that he had already looked at. He carefully copied the text into the datapad so that he and Anakin could look at it later. He had just finished when Jocasta came back in. "If you are finished with the Prophecy, I will put it away now."

"That is fine," he said, and she picked it up. "Let me know when there is something else that you need."

He referenced Anakin's datapad again, looking through the books he mentioned. Obi-Wan felt fortunate that he had taken the time to teach Anakin the valuable lesson of how to go about doing research properly. It had been one of the few lessons that he had taken well. Anakin did not like having to go back and redo something he'd already finished because he'd left some detail out, like references. That was an easy lesson to accomplish.

It had apparently stuck inside the boy's head well enough that by the time he'd turned twelve, he would make meticulous notes even for something that was never intended for another's use.

Anakin had been able to intuit much more than he would have out of the books he was reading. He made notes to himself about various texts that Anakin had wanted to cross-reference, and ones that he thought would additionally be useful as he browsed the material, when he came across the first reference that Anakin had found to the old code. It was oblique, merely mentioning that a Jedi Master named Odan-Urr, a being worthy of much praise, according to the author of the book, had interpreted the Jedi Code in a different manner. The book went on to praise the new code for some pages before actually writing it. It was the code he had learned as a boy: _**There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force.**_

The full extent of the glory of Master Odan-Urr's teachings, the book he was reading said, were to be found in the book, _The Teachings of Master Odan-Urr_, authored by the being himself. _Curious,_ Obi-Wan thought, as he checked to see the availability of the book. It was a Master-level-only access book. He would have thought, from the way the author of the book he was reading—he turned it over finding the title to be _Barask-Shakan, __Journal__, Years 505-30 after the building of the Great Jedi Library, __Years 509-34 after the Great Hyperspace Wars_—that this would be something that every child was taught from. _Curiouser and curiouser. _

He requested the book in question from Jocasta, as well as the item's history. She looked at him oddly then, but didn't question what he wanted it for, but the history of a book nearly five thousand years old was a large order.

While he waited, he continued to check Anakin's work against the books she had already brought him. Thus far it had proven nearly flawless, though his Padawan had a tendency for more speculation than was strictly called for.

A few more pages revealed the author's opinion on the old code, and a comparison of the two. This Barask-Shakan seemed to think the new interpretation of the code to be clearer, though oddly, he stated that the Council had been adamant that both versions be taught. _So why then was that changed? _he wondered. Perhaps the history of the teaching book would be enlightening on that angle.

It was odd to read the code this way, and he shook his head as he read it. **_Emotion, yet peace._ _Ignorance, yet knowledge._ _Passion, yet serenity._ _Chaos, yet harmony._ _Death, yet the Force._**

Obi-Wan glanced up at the chrono, realizing that he'd been at his task for nearly ten hours. He stood, stretching, and just then Master Nu came back in. "I haven't quite got the history of the book you were wanting—it's in another area of the library, as is the book."

He smiled warmly at her. "That's ok. I just realized how long I had been here. I am going to go meditate on what I've learned, and I'll be back tomorrow. Can you have the book and its history for me tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem."

"Good. I will see you in the morning," Obi-Wan said, and he headed for the dining hall.

* * *

Palpatine watched the hidden cameras from the cell that he had left Grievous in. Grievous was quicker than most at extracting himself, and also quicker at making the attempt. He was out in under an hour. _Most impressive. I knew there was a reason that I salvaged this beast._ Once Grievous left the room, he returned to the tasks that were required of him as Chancellor.

He mused about the list that he had made for Grievous for a moment before the tasks of his job absorbed his attention completely. There were twenty Jedi on the list, and it included such notables as Mace Windu, inventor of the Vaapad Lightsaber combat technique, as well as all of the students that he had ever trained or attempted to train in that style of combat. The rest were a hodgepodge of strong Force users, each with their own weakness. Aayla Secura, for instance. She used two lightsabers, and had, on occasion, gone down the dark path. Vos had pulled her back the last time, but not without cost to both of them. He was likely the most interesting one on the list. A psychometric, if he believed the things that he had been told. A small smile played across Palpatine's mouth as he began composing a speech for the Senate session that afternoon.

* * *

Anakin sat still. He sat very still, as a good Jedi Knight should. The fact that he wanted to either be pacing the floor or in the room with Padmé occupied his mind without allowing him any peace. But he could sit still. He could be still for hours, no matter how his mind raced. War and the Jedi had taught him that. It seemed to him like it had been hours since he had let Padmé go back to the exam room, but if he really wanted to check on them, all he had to do was to seek out her presence with the Force. He did that, finally, and found that they were all fine. Neither of the twins seemed particularly happy; in fact both seemed rather upset, but it was not anything outside the range of normal emotion. What he felt from Padmé primarily was relief. He sighed, settling into his chair further, and preparing to wait for a bit longer, when Breha came out. He sat up straighter, not wanting her to think that he was lax in his duties. 

She sat down next to him. "The doctor thinks that none of the three of them have suffered any ill effects from having been on Naboo, Force be praised that you got them out quickly," He nodded at that, nothing more. It was conformation of what he and Obi-Wan knew anyway, but having it confirmed eased his mind. "You are a quiet one. I suppose most Jedi are like that, though," she said, eying him critically as she continued to talk about the appointment.

"I have my moments, as I am sure the Senator would be happy to tell you," he said. He tried to neither appear too interested nor too disinterested, but he suspected that he was failing. Padmé came out before too much longer, and he stood, as slowly as he could stand to force himself.

Padmé allowed herself only a minor adjustment of her clothing as she stepped into the waiting room, then proceeded to the exit, leaving Anakin and Breha to follow in her wake. She went directly to the vehicle that they had come in, and Anakin held the door for her, and was prepared to help her into the vehicle, but she didn't need that yet. He and Breha got in, and once they were all settled, Padmé started talking about her appointment. He tried to take on the air of polite boredom, for Padmé's sake, but he really was quite interested in what she had to say.

Apparently his act was working a bit too well. "Are you paying attention to me, Knight Skywalker?" she asked him in that tone she had only when she got annoyed with him.

"Hmm? Yes, Senator, of course I was paying attention to you," he said, maintaining the façade that he was using.

"What did I just say?" she asked, sounding really annoyed.

"You were saying that the doctor took a blood sample from each of the twins and that was why they were kicking up a storm, and probably leaving bruises on your insides, but he gave all three of you a good bill of health, which is a great relief," he replied, proving that he was indeed paying attention.

She looked even more annoyed with him, if that was possible. He tried to look at her innocently. "I don't know why the Jedi Council keeps assigning you as my bodyguard. You have the concern of a rock and the social grace of a shaak."

"I am sorry you feel that way, Senator. If you like, I can see if the Council will assign someone else as your protector, but I am afraid that I must insist on staying with you at this time. It would not be a good idea for you to be travelling back to Coruscant at this time. The Council feels as though these death threats that you are under are more serious than you take them for."

She shook her head, apparently mad that she had to put up with him for the duration of the trip, and looked out the window at the scenery. He was careful not to smile, though. It wouldn't do to have Breha think he was egging her on purposefully.

* * *

**Those who have been taught the Vaapad are Depa Billaba, Sora Bulq, Quinlin Vos, and of course Mace Windu, its inventor. Aayla Secura is also on the list, so there are still 15 Jedi out there on his list that I haven't listed. But that's ok. I'll figure it out if nobody gives me any ideas. I doubt I will fill the whole list in, though I might. Enough rambling, and hope you enjoyed!**


	13. Steps

**AN:Sorry that it's taken me so long to get back to this story. There are so many other things I want to be doing, that this isn't quite as high on the priority list as I'd like. For those of you who read more of my stories than this, I am working on my next Shadow story, I really am, but I've been bogged down by class and work and the drama that is my family(I swear my life was so much easier when I ignored my family).**

**Hey, wow. this story has made it to 100 reviews! Yay! Thanks to everyone who made suggestions as to who would be on the list...I don't know that I've pinned it down just yet, but I think I will just go with the decisison of who Grievous pursues, and go from there. **

**pronker: The code provided as historical is the Canon historical code, as is Odan-Urr and the book _The Teachings of Master Odan-Urr_, though I think I filled out some of the details, and the book wasn't published until close to 4,000 BBY (though I'm sure Odan-Urr worked on it most of his life), though Barask-Shakan and his journal are mine...**

* * *

Obi-Wan woke early in the morning and ate quickly before heading back to the library. He apparently hadn't drawn attention to himself, since Master Yoda and Master Windu seemed to be ignoring him. Or at least they hadn't tried to raise him on his com link. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that he hadn't checked in when he arrived. The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he thought how much like his Padawan he was becoming—playing hooky from the Council because there was something 'more important' that he had to be doing.

His meditation on the nature of the Jedi Code turned into a meditation on the nature of the Living Force, and for some reason, he could have sworn that he felt Qui-Gon there, watching over him, radiating approval. _Come to think of it, considering what Anakin told me, that idea may not be so far off base._

Jocasta Nu stopped him as he entered the library. "Master Kenobi, I have the items you requested," she said looking nervous.

He was puzzled by that, "Well, then, let's go see about this," he said, following her deeper into the library.

"I examined the book," she said as she entered the same smaller study room he'd been in the day before. "And I didn't understand why the book was on the Restricted List at all. The way the book is written, it's like a primer for understanding the Code. I think I understand the code better, and I've only read through it once quickly."

"And the History?"

She held out the datapad that contained the item's five thousand year history. "It was placed on the Restricted List because the author later fell to the Dark Side. No other reason, no reasonable reason, was given. I can't even figure out who did it."

"You are the head Librarian; do you think this book should be less restricted?"

"Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I would like to see younglings taught from this book."

"Bring the matter before the Council. You know Yoda is a soft touch for younglings, and I will support you. I would like to read the book, however."

She made a quick nod and bow, and exited, saying, "I will leave you to do that, then." He sighed; she was one of the most opinionated Jedi that he'd ever met, but it usually didn't interfere with her duties, and in fact, it usually helped her. Putting aside his thoughts of the person who was head Librarian, he refocused his attention on the book she had brought him.

The book took him four hours to read, being rather short, but he when he had finished he had to agree with Barask-Shakan. Odan-Urr had been a brilliant Jedi. The book gave insight into the Jedi Code in ways that provoked thought, and in ways that he knew would make the Order better. He picked up the history of the book then. The first entry puzzled him slightly. _Placed in records of the Great Jedi Library on Ossus; copy sent to Temple on Coruscant._ He scanned the document to see if Ossus was mentioned again, but it was not.

He went to go see Master Nu to see if she knew where Ossus was, and he found her showing a group of four-year-old Initiates the basics of the library. When she finished, she came over to him and asked, "What can I do for you, Master Kenobi?"

He indicated the entry, and asked, "Where is Ossus?"

"Oh," she said, and led him over to one of the holoimagers. "Let's see," she continued as she typed the name into the computer.

The imager highlighted the planet, slowly focusing in on it. "It looks like it's in Sith Space," Obi-Wan commented.

Master Nu nodded as she read the screen of information about the planet. "It was the location of the Great Jedi Library founded by Odan-Urr. During the Great Sith War, a Sith device was used to create a supernova in one of the stars of the Cron Cluster. The resulting shockwave and radiation killed everyone on Ossus, and rendered the planet uninhabitable. Some items and people were saved, but not before the Sith attacked the planet itself. The loss of life due to the Sith's actions in this area was tremendous."

"So the planet still exists?"

"From what is stated here, I would say that it likely does."

"That may prove enlightening once the war is over."

"Another project for you and your wayward Padawan?"

Obi-Wan smiled. She had no idea how wayward he had gotten. "I think it might be at that."

He rose, heading back to the room he had been using. "Will you be needing anything else, Master Kenobi?"

"Not at the moment, but I may have more questions for you, as I go through this."

"I will be available."

"Thank you," he said, closing himself in, and he looked at the next entries. _Copied and utilized as primer text for Initiate classes. _

_Checked out by Jedi Padawan Trad Kerthak._

_Checked out by Jedi Knight Peran Seth._

It seemed he was in for another long day.

* * *

Anakin thoroughly examined every inch of Padmé's room as he spoke with her. They had been left alone, and she was unwinding. He hadn't realized quite how wound up she'd been until she'd started releasing that tension. "So what else did the doctor say about the twins?"

"I told you everything this afternoon," she said, still sounding annoyed.

"I didn't mean to annoy you, really I didn't, Padmé," he said, his long fingers running along the top of the door jamb.

She sighed. "I know. I'm just tired of hiding, and all of it. I want to be home," she said, an edge of tears in her voice, and he turned to her, knowing that the only thing that he could do would be to comfort her as she cried. He hated feeling so useless, but he couldn't fix a planet by himself. If he'd thought it would help, he would have tried. There was nothing that he wouldn't have tried to do for her.

* * *

Grievous looked over the list put together by Palpatine. It was more informative than he thought it would have been; it was more than just names, it also contained something like biographies for each of them.

Unfortunately, also included in the document were specific instructions not to engage in battle or to pursue either Skywalker or Kenobi. He looked over the list again, and found again the list. Deciding that it would likely be easiest to capture a Padawan, even if they were near their Master, he decided to pursue the youngest name on the list: Seranth Devor.

Seranth Devor was currently stationed on the Outer Rim planet of Boz Pity, helping with the war effort there, clean-up mostly at this point. Grievous had given up on that particular planet months ago. Her Master, a Falleen by the name of Xanfar, was of little consequence. He was, by all the intelligence reports that Grievous could gather on the man, was an average Jedi of average intelligence, with average success on the battlefield. She was of more use than he was, from the look of it. They would not be expecting him, and that gave him the advantage.

* * *

Padmé was feeling much better, though she hated to admit it, after the nap her husband had suggested. He was meditating—something he did only rarely, under much duress—and so was unavailable. He had insisted upon arranging the sleeping accommodations so that her room was next to his. She had silenced protests from her family with a look. There were some secrets that even Bail Organa and other members of the Delegation of Two Thousand were not privy to, and a few that Anakin wasn't either.

"Where is your ever vigilant guardian, dear?" she heard, and turned to find Breha in the hall behind her.

"He's meditating," she said.

"I'd heard that Jedi do that a lot."

She shrugged. "I haven't had a chance to observe many of them."

"I haven't had a chance to get this close to any of them. I suppose that's a consequence of Alderaan being so peaceful."

"Naboo is supposed to be just as peaceful, but we are in the line of fire."

"I suppose that doesn't help. How is your family?"

"They all seem to be dealing well enough with this; I don't want to think about how those we had to leave behind are doing."

"Bail went back to Coruscant this morning. He will be on the side of the Chancellor. No matter what, the Chancellor will have to insist upon doing everything possible to ensure that Naboo is restored to its former glory, and as quickly as possible. And Bail will do it because he's your friend."

"I don't know. I am just sick over this anytime I think of it."

"You are at a time when you must think of yourself first. You have served your people for half your life."

"Yes. I've been considering retiring from public service for some time, and my parents have been asking for a long time how long I planned to continue putting my own life on hold to continue public service."

"You are the kind to spend your life in this service," Breha said, "But your family is going to need you, your children will need you, especially if their father isn't involved in your life."

It was the closest she'd come to mentioning the fact that she seemed to be husbandless, but very obliquely, in the manner of all politicians. She thought briefly on what to say before she decided. "My husband is quite busy himself, and doesn't want to become involved in the political scene," she said, summing up Anakin's attitude nicely, she thought.

Breha smiled and patted her hand. "Of course he is dear," she said, and the tone made it sound as though she didn't believe she actually had a husband.

Padmé shook her head, but wasn't willing to out Anakin, not until they had at least consulted with Obi-Wan on that particular situation. "I am a bit hungry," she said, changing the subject to a neutral one, "Is there anything to eat somewhere?"

"Oh, dear. You were sleeping when dinner came, and no one wanted to wake you. Come to think of it, we couldn't even find your Jedi."

"Maybe he was already meditating."

"Perhaps. Let's get you something to eat. Those twins of yours must be starving."

"Well, they probably think they are."

* * *

Palpatine looked at the report Grievous had sent him. It contained some research about some of the younger members on his list, and notified him of Grievous's decision to pursue the girl, Seranth Devor. Palpatine considered what he could do either to help or hinder the task, and whether he wanted to do either.

He spent an hour in contemplation of that particular issue before deciding that it was best left alone. He wasn't sure yet if she was the one that would be his favored tool, but she might be effective. He considered Dooku's dark acolytes, though most of the more useful of that group had been killed, and mostly by Kenobi or Skywalker. Well, he would have to see if he could work with what remained. Of the five that remained alive, only two were readily accessible to him: Jander Xantel and Leinea Shellan. He made encoded messages to both of them to report to a special area of the capital city where he had gained total control of everything. It would not be long. He would have other things to keep himself occupied with in the meantime.


	14. Almost there!

**AN: Sorry to have taken so long to have gotten this up. **

**pronker: Thank you. I hope all of my (mostly borrowed) characters act believeably, and you will tell me if they aren't. **

**ElusiveMaverick:For you.**

* * *

Grievous stalked closer to his prey. He'd watched for two days as she went about her routines with her Master. She'd come out of the building that was housing both of the Jedi on the planet, and he knew that her Master wouldn't expect her back for several hours. Being mostly mechanical now aided him by masking what little emotion he had for the business he had here. She was not unintelligent, but she did not feel him creeping up on her as she walked through the short space of woods rather than taking the path around them to the small village that they were aiding. A sharp knock to her temple had her unconscious before she could even cry out. He bundled her smaller body to his, and headed off back to his ship.

He headed into space, having dumped her body into a holding cell, and contacted Darth Sidious. "My Master," he said, bowing to the hologram that appeared before him after a few moments.

"You have good news for me, I trust?"

"Yes, Master. I have obtained for you Seranth Devor. She is in a holding cell on my ship, and when we are finished speaking, I will launch to Coruscant, to present her to you."

Sidious nodded, not, seemingly, surprised by what Grievous said. "I will have coordinates for you to land at by the time you get here."

"Yes, my Master. We should arrive in 12 hours."

Sidious nodded again. "Contact me when you arrive in orbit."

"Yes, Master," Grievous said, and the communication closed.

He hurried to the cockpit, initiating the final sequence to send the ship into hyperspace.

* * *

Padmé woke up. It was very late into the night on Coruscant, but dawn on this part of Alderaan. She had slept only restlessly that night, and her lower back had hurt most of the night. She had an appointment with the obstetrician later that day, _I'll ask the doctor_, she thought as she got up, and went to the bathroom. By the time she exited, Anakin was there. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked her, concern coloring his features.

She shook her head, "Just some lower back pain. I was going to ask the doctor about it. I am supposed to go see him today."

Anakin didn't look convinced. "I think it's more than that," he said.

"The pain kept me up most of the night, that's all, Ani. Don't worry so."

Anakin smiled, and his smile made her smile despite everything. "I would feel better if you called the doctor and checked with him."

"I'm sure it's nothing."

"And I'm sure that he's had thousands of calls just like it to let new parents relax. Call him," Anakin said, not forcefully enough to make it seem threatening, but he wasn't about to argue the point with her either.

She smiled. Since he'd started actually talking to Obi-Wan, as she'd been encouraging him to do for quite some time, he'd found a middle level to many things, including his interactions with her. "Alright, Ani, I will call him, just so that you don't worry."

He smiled back at her, and then said, "Do you need anything, or shall I meet you downstairs for breakfast?"

"I'll be fine." She insisted. He looked at her as though he didn't quite believe her, but he didn't argue with her as he left. She eased herself down onto the bed, trying to decide what, of the few things she had with her, she wanted to wear.

She chose a simple dress, the one she'd worn on the flight to Alderaan, in fact. Dressing was more of a chore than it had been before she'd gotten pregnant, but she managed, and headed down the stairs of the palace into the formal dining room.

She was headed off by Anakin again, who said, "You should call the doctor before breakfast, just in case something is wrong."

She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't get any peace from him until she did. "Alright Knight Skywalker, I will do as you request."

She watched him fight a smile for a moment before he said, "The comm is this way."

She let him guide her and sat in front of the station, dialing the doctor's office. "Doctor Klaskey's office," a pleasant young woman said, "how may we help you?"

"I was up most of the night with back pain," she explained to the girl as Anakin watched her.

"Low back pain?" the girl asked.

"Yes."

"And are you a patient?"

"Yes, I have an appointment today, in fact."

"How far along are you?"

"Seven and a half months."

The next words out of the girl's mouth scared her more than just about anything else could have. "I'll consult with the doctor, but you're probably in labor."

* * *

Obi-Wan settled into the cockpit of the small flyer he was taking back to Alderaan. It was large enough that it would be able to hold Anakin, Padmé and the twins, should the occasion arise that they needed to leave, but he wasn't able to procure a ship large enough for everyone, though they still had the old freighter that had brought all of them from Naboo to Alderaan.

Several long days studying the Jedi Code, and intense meditation, both in his room and in the Room of a Thousand Fountains had convinced him that Anakin was right. His instincts at thirteen, and later as well—he'd also found notes from some books Anakin had consulted when he'd first gotten Knighted—were dead on. It was actually rather eerie how accurately Anakin had guessed what was in some of the books that Obi-Wan had looked through, ones that Anakin still did not have access to, verifying Anakin's theories.

The way the code was taught had changed. The fact that both were taught for quite some time wasn't a fact Anakin had been able to pick up on, but it didn't matter. The old code needed revived, to be brought back into the Order. He needed to take his time and construct some well-based arguments to make this work.

He'd discovered, quite by accident, that the one who'd suggested that the old code was outdated and needed to be abandoned was a Sith Lord who'd masqueraded as a Master Jedi for years. That fact had made his blood run cold. He'd died on his home planet, and been venerated as a Sith, for whatever reason. Only the report of his death had been sent back to the Jedi Order, and later, documents were transferred to the archives from the planet's main archives. Few if any people ever looked at those, even when they first came in.

He'd tried to find out what else that the Sith had done, but it was all so subtle, that he had a hard time pulling out the thread of evil from the patchwork of seemingly good work that had been done. Anakin had picked up on it, and no one else had.

He worked on his arguments as he flew back to Alderaan. The alarm notifying him that the ship was reverting to realspace surprised him, as he had become quite engrossed in his work. Setting that aside, he took the controls, and entered codes that Bail had given him to permit him to land at the palace again without suspicion.

Once he landed, he was greeted, not by Anakin, who seemed unduly anxious, from what Obi-Wan could feel of him through the Force, but by a servant. "Master Kenobi," she said, bowing slightly.

"Yes," he answered, accustomed to what people thought of proper procedure for greeting a Jedi.

"Master Skywalker has gone with Senator Amidala to the hospital."

"And why is she going to the hospital?"

"I don't know, sir. I have orders to arrange transportation for you or Senator Organa, should one of you appear," she said, heading toward the palace, "would you like me to do that, sir?"

"Yes, that would be fine," he said, already distracted by thoughts of what could be going on. He touched Anakin's mind through their bond, but only got back intense emotional turmoil; he was intent enough on his immediate surroundings to not notice Obi-Wan tapping at his mind.

* * *

Palpatine took a deep breath, and started his speech. With Bail Organa pushing for something to be done about Naboo, and pushing Senator Binks to do the same, and a large part of the contingent that seemed to be against him most of the time as well. In the face of such an overwhelming majority, he had no choice but to put every effort into the restoration of Naboo. Not that he wouldn't have anyway, but they had taken his thunder away from him with impassioned speeches, and quicker action than he'd thought any politician other than himself capable of.

"People of the Republic, it is with a sad heart that I tell you of the devastation on Naboo, the world on which I was raised. I have been to so many planets in this galaxy that I sometimes feel as though I have no one as my home, but that was until a few days ago, when I learned of Naboo's plight. I have been busy coordinating the effort to send relief to Naboo, from the first moment I heard about this.

"Even as we speak, thousands of volunteer vessels are going to Naboo in an effort to remove as much of the civilian population as possible, so that there is as little loss of life as can be attained. When this is accomplished, we will make every effort to restore Naboo to its former glory as one of the most beautiful, peaceful planets in the galaxy.

"To that end, any planet with the ability to support some of the refugees while this is taking place is asked to open their doors to the Nabooian people. Even if it is only one citizen that you can take in, it will help us.

"Every effort will go into erasing the damage done by General Grievous and the CIS. He will be hunted down and exterminated like the bug that he is."

The raucous cheers of the crowd drowned out any further statement that he would have made, not that he actually had any planned. He permitted tears to glisten in his eyes, as though he was touched by the support the galaxy was giving his war-torn planet.

* * *

Anakin walked beside Padmé as the hospital attendants maneuvered her hover chair into the building, the dream he'd had on Coruscant the first night he'd known that he was going to be a father still swimming in the back of his mind. It was even more indistinct now than it had been then, but it still scared him.

He stayed by her side as the attendants placed her on a not-entirely-comfortable looking bed. "The doctor will be with you soon," said one of them as they left.

"Ani," she called to him, and he came to her side.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concerned, taking her hand.

"It's just a little sudden, is all. I'm not used to being…"

"Not in control?"

She smiled, "Yeah."

The doctor walked in before they could continue their conversation. "Well, let's see what's going on here," he said, "If you could excuse the lady for a few moments, Sir Knight, we shall see how she is progressing."

"Certainly," he said, though he hated leaving her side. He walked out of the door, and found his Master there. "Hello."

"Hello, Anakin. Could you tell me what is going on?"

"The doctor seems to think Padmé is in labor. He's examining her now."

Obi-Wan nodded, "Good, then I haven't missed anything."

"Not here. How did your research go?"

"Surprisingly well. When we have a little time to ourselves, I'll go over it with you," he said, brandishing a datapad.

Anakin nodded. "That will be fine."

"Relax. You're doing fine. These are unusual circumstances, but you've handled worse."

Anakin nodded again, trying to suppress the urge to act like what he was—a nervous, expectant father.

The door to Padmé's room opened, and the doctor stepped out. "Looks like the twins should be here sometime later on today. I have some other patients to see, then I'll be back. You can go in and see her."

"Thank you," Anakin said, trying for an outward appearance of calm, at least. Obi-Wan's small smile told him that he was at least somewhat successful.


	15. Luke and Leia

**AN: So here is the terribly long awaited chapter, I hadn't realized an entire month has gotten away from me. **

**To those who added your voices, welcome, and to those who continue to review, thank you. **

**Read on!**

* * *

Palpatine decided that enough time had passed since he'd asked Kenobi to have Skywalker contact him. He felt as though he should endeavor to follow through, although it would most likely now prove fruitless. There was still some chance that if put into a compromising position, Anakin would still snap. Placing him on the Council was something he'd intended for some months, but now that particular path seemed the only one available to him to obtain Anakin's undivided loyalty.

He cursed Kenobi silently as he made contact with the Jedi Council. "I have not had my request honored," he told Mace Windu, who was the person answering for them that day. It was entirely possible that he was the only Council Member in residence.

"I am sorry, Chancellor. Master Kenobi is supervising Skywalker's quest to understand his visions personally. I am sure that when Anakin is finished, Master Kenobi will inform him of your request to see him."

"Is it normal to have little contact with one's friends during one of these, quests?" he asked off-handedly.

Mace seemed taken aback by the question. "Well, normally these don't go on for very long at all, but Knight Skywalker is unfamiliar with the process, and he is something of an oddity in the Temple. He is not restricted in the way that other Knights are."

He thought he might have found a chink in the armor of the Temple. "Are you saying that you disapprove of what he is doing, Master Windu?"

"No. He is doing what he needs to be doing," Master Windu said, but didn't elaborate.

Palpatine was not about to unnecessarily try the patience of Master Windu, whose temper was legendary. "Do you have any idea about when this will be finished?"

"No." Master Windu said.

"Alright, then. I suppose I will hear from him when he is available."

"I would imagine so. Thank you, Chancellor."

"Thank you, Master Windu. Good day," he said, cutting the communications. _So the council knows as little about this as I do. Maybe this will turn out well enough in the end._

* * *

Padmé wouldn't have wanted to admit it, but having Obi-Wan there, if only to manage Anakin, made her feel better. He was someone she trusted, both for herself, and for all the things he'd done for Anakin over the years. Each time the doctor came in she felt like she was one step closer to the fateful event, but it took hours before she was in the final stages of labor.

Obi-Wan was trying to keep her mind occupied with things other than her immediate suffering. "Have you thought about what you would like to name the twins?"

"I have, but I don't know yet what I'll choose. I'll know when I see them."

Obi-Wan nodded to that. "You are wise not to decide upon their names before you see them. They may surprise you with what you decide to name them."

"I'll just be happy to have them here, and not kicking my ribs."

Breha had elected to come along, so as the only female in the room, she was the only one who could have been expected to relate. Her family was in and out, and out at that moment. "I wish I could have that joy. You'll probably miss it when it's gone, and when they are fourteen."

Padmé smiled. "I don't really want to think about them being fourteen yet. It's going to be bad enough that they grow so fast as it is. I always heard that from my relatives; that we grew so fast."

Breha smiled warmly. "It always seems so. I've watched a number of younglings in the Courts of Alderaan grow, and they sprout like weeds between the times that I see them," she said, smiling. Padmé was glad that she could be happy even though she would probably never have children of her own. Her mother came in then, and she knew everything would be ok. Her mother had always made everything ok.

* * *

Obi-Wan sat in the wide window sill of the hospital room. With most of the Naberries in the room, he and Anakin had retreated to a more out of the way spot, but still within easy reach if they were needed. They talked quietly as Padmé's family provided the comfort she was needing right then. With Breha there, and doctors in and out, it wasn't precisely safe to permit Anakin to play his role as the father, but there would be a time when he could, or nearly so. They had all agreed to permit Anakin to witness the birth. Jedi were many things, though guard was not usually on the list, neither was father, and it would be many years that he would be fulfilling that role.

Obi-Wan sighed, distracted by his thoughts. Anakin was looking over the research Obi-Wan had done, confirming most of what Anakin had believed to be true, and notes on his differing opinions of the way things were. At least it was keeping the boy still and out of the way. "This isn't right, Obi-Wan," he said, indicating a passage of what Obi-Wan had written. It was about the fact that both codes were taught for some time.

"I've checked, Anakin, and verified when the old code was no longer taught. It was near of a millennium that both were taught together. I still haven't found out precisely why that was changed. There was a Sith involved, but you haven't gotten to that part yet. Keep reading."

Anakin did as he suggested, soaking up the information that Obi-Wan had provided him as though he were a dry sponge. This was the first time that he'd ever seen Anakin reading something he was truly interested in, and it fascinated him. Anakin was one of those people for which reading was not designed. But watching his young apprentice read with all the fervor he usually applied to things like lightsaber combat was interesting. There was little that they could do for Padmé that was not already being done, so they talked quietly as they waited for there to be something more for them to do.

* * *

General Grievous looked in on his prisoner; she was still unconscious. He headed quickly for the front of the ship, knowing that they would be exiting hyperspace soon. Sure enough, as he settled into the pilot's chair, the warning bell went off for their reversion. He waited as the ship reverted to realspace, and then assimilated his vessel into the throngs that daily assaulted Coruscant. There was nothing to mark this particular vessel as a Confederate vessel, so he was not harassed by any of the authorities. He changed his trajectory to match the one for the landing pad he'd been told to use by Palpatine. The dark lord had also given him some sort of high clearance. It was unheard of to get a landing time in less than two hours on Coruscant.

When he finally landed, Palpatine was waiting for him. He stepped off the ship, bowing to the Dark Lord. "Bring the girl," was all the Sith said.

"Yes, my Lord," Grievous answered. Now that he knew the truth, he'd thought it best to be more careful around the leader of both sides of the war.

He stepped back onto the ship, grabbed a bucket, filled it with water, and went to the holding cell. It was time the girl was awake, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Anakin was as scared as he'd ever been in his life, and as thrilled. This was not what he'd seen in his nightmare, which allowed him to relax somewhat. He had come to terms with the fact that the current Lord of the Sith was probably wholly responsible for him having that particular nightmare in the first place, but it didn't settle the quivering that was going on in the pit of his stomach.

"One more push should do it for this one, milady," the doctor said encouragingly. There were several medical droids hovering nearby to assist with the twins, but they were being delivered by hand. Padmé tightened her grip on Anakin's hand, and he was sure that she was doing the same with Obi-Wan's on the other side. He looked over at his Master, and flashed him a smile, which Obi-Wan returned.

"Push," Obi-Wan said to Padmé and she did, then suddenly a wail broke the silence of the room, and she let out the breath she'd been holding. The doctor quickly clamped and cut the umbilical cord, and handed the baby off to one of the droids for a quick evaluation.

Information appeared on the droid's chest, apparently satisfactory to the doctor. He looked up and smiled, saying "A perfectly healthy little boy. Would you like to hold him now, or wait until his sibling can join him?"

"Can Anakin hold him for me?" she asked.

The doctor smiled. "Of course. Whatever you want," and with that, the young Skywalker was bundled and handed to his father, who had not a clue what to do with a baby _this_ small.

She reached up, touching his face with a look of wonder on hers. "Luke," she said, giving the boy his name. The girl had, by this point, turned in preparation for her arrival, and a contraction hit Padmé.

"Well, looks like we won't have too long of a wait for this one," the doctor said, and true enough, Luke's sister was eager to join him. Anakin was a little scared, because Padmé wanted to be holding his hand, and while the boy was small enough to hold with one hand, he didn't feel comfortable doing so. He bit his lip, and the doctor saw him. "If you need to, you may give the baby to the medical droid," he said, indicating the one which should be caring for the baby.

"My thanks," Anakin said, "I've never held a baby so young. Most of the crèchlings are at least six months old."

The doctor nodded. "Younger babies are a bit more delicate, but not overly so. You just have to be careful that you don't overextend their necks, mostly. They haven't developed the muscles to hold their heads up; that doesn't come until about four months," he said, then turned his attention back to his patient. "Now, if you are ready, milady, then someone else seems quite eager to join us."

She nodded, and the process started over again, only much more quickly this time. It seemed like almost no time until he heard the little girl's cries, and when she cried, her brother started crying again himself. The doctor set the baby on the same droid as he had her brother. It seemed the droid's only function was to evaluate a newborn. "A healthy baby girl. My congratulations," the doctor said, bundling up the little girl and handing her to Obi-Wan, since Anakin had picked Luke up to soothe him. Anakin watched as Padmé lit up at the sight of her new daughter.

"Leia," she said finally.

"Very well, milady," Obi-Wan said, "Would you like us to take the twins to your family?"

"That would be very nice of you, Obi-Wan. I'm sure the doctor is not finished with me."

"No, but I will be soon, and then you can rest. The three of you have had a big day."

He and Obi-Wan carried Luke and Leia out to meet the rest of the Naberries. They ooed and ahed over the new babies, and he let Jobal take her first grandson from him. He watched, happy and fascinated by his children's extended family, wishing that his mother could have been alive to see them. Then the doctor tapped his shoulder. "Would you come with me?" he asked seriously, and led him back into Padmé's room.

The lights had been turned down, so he couldn't see quite as well as he wanted to be able to, but she wasn't moving and her eyes were closed, she wasn't doing anything, and he couldn't even see from the angle he was at whether she was breathing. Fear welled up within him that his presence had only delayed her death, not prevented it.


	16. Long Talks

**AN: Yay, another chapter. I'm sorry that I left you hanging for so long on the evil cliffie. Have fun with this.**

* * *

Anakin breathed a great sigh of relief when Padmé opened her eyes, blinking up at him sleepily. "I asked the doctor if you would come back to talk to me," she said as she yawned behind her hand.

"Of course, Senator, I am your guardian, after all. I should be near you at all times," he said, watching her as she turned onto her side, looking incredibly sleepy, perfect and a thousand other things he couldn't articulate.

"Where are the babies?" she asked.

He smiled. "Your mother and sister were discussing how little Luke seems to have taken after your side of the family. I'm afraid that they think the boy looks like his father."

"And Leia?"

"Your nieces seem quite absorbed with her, but Master Obi-Wan is managing them."

The doctor interrupted them then, saying, "If you don't have any further questions, I will be going. There should be an orderly in to take you to your room soon. I have two other patients to see tonight, and several appointments that had to be rearranged to accommodate the babies I delivered today. Tomorrow will be long, but nothing unusual."

Anakin didn't quite know how to respond, but Padmé took charge. "Thank you, doctor. I will see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yes. I'm sure you will have much more to say to me then," he said with a smile, letting himself out.

Padmé turned her attention to him then. "Ani, can you bring the twins here? I would like to hold my children."

He realized then that she had yet to have that privilege. "I will see to it, Angel. Did you want to see your family as well?"

She shook her head, "Just Mom. I'm tired."

He thought it would take planetary alignments of millennial proportions to get her to admit fatigue. "Don't worry about it. I think I can get just her, hopefully. Your sister is as stubborn as you are."

"It's late as it is, tell them I'll see them tomorrow. Sola needs to get the girls home anyway."

"Ok. I'll be right back."

* * *

Seranth Devor woke to the aching-pounding of her head. She'd had a concussion before; a ship she'd been riding in had crashed very badly. She'd walked away with the concussion and a few bruises, and her master hadn't had a scratch on him, but several of the clones they were riding with had died from the crash, and one more from burns from fires that couldn't be contained before harm was done.

This felt worse. She realized that she was in bad shape, and wondered briefly how she'd survived whatever had happened to her in the first place. She realized that she was wet, and that wetness was making her cold, but it was a detached sort of realization. _Shock_, the thought came to her, _I'm in shock._ She felt an iron grip on her arms, then motion that was not under her own power. She wouldn't have been capable of anything more than the most rudimentary motion anyway. The motion she was being forced to endure was threatening to make her vomit when she suddenly stopped moving. She crumpled into a ball on the floor, realizing distantly that she'd basically just been thrown down a flight of stairs.

She heard voices, and the tiny part of her mind that still functioned beyond the pain and sickness she was enduring recognized them as male. She felt a hand roughly grab a handful of her hair, and she chanced opening her eyes a slit as she was brought nearly vertical for some sort of examination. The sight of what must be the Sith Lord that the Jedi were looking for chilled her to the bone, but she wasn't able to resist when he noticed her looking at him and used the Force to press her mind into unconsciousness again.

* * *

Padmé knew that persuasion for Anakin usually involved a lightsaber, so she was pleasantly surprised when he brought his Master and her mother, each holding one of the twins, and no one else to her new room.

"Ruwee is taking Sola and the children and Breha back to the castle," her mother explained. "You need your sleep."

She smiled tiredly at her mother. "Are the twins going to the nursery?"

"It's not required here, and I did ask. I didn't know if you would want them here or not, so I didn't ask for bassinets to be brought."

"I couldn't imagine sending my children to the nursery if I don't have to."

Her mother smiled knowingly. "I'll go get those bassinets then," she said, and handed one of the babies, Leia, presumably, to her. Padmé had been able to handle both Ryoo and Pooja as infants, so she didn't feel like a total novice. Anakin had admitted he'd never held a newborn, though she hadn't known he'd spent time with the youngest Jedi. She realized there was a lot she didn't know about the time he spent in the Temple.

He took the other baby from Obi-Wan, carefully, while she watched. "Here we are, Luke," he said, depositing the boy into her other arm, and the two of them snuggled in, almost in unison.

"Do you spend a lot of time in the crèche?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "As much as my other duties and pursuits allow."

"Which has, of late, been very little," Obi-Wan said.

He nodded. "I think it was something that Master Qui-Gon would have encouraged me to do."

Obi-Wan seemed pensive for a moment, then said, "I believe you are right, Padawan. It was something I think he did himself, sometimes. Maybe I should try it. Younglings are more in touch with the Living Force."

Anakin looked amused with that comment. "Well, Master, there is no time like the present."

That turned Obi-Wan serious. "Have either of you given any consideration to what you are going to do about the twins?"

"What do you mean?" she asked him, confused.

"They are highly Force-sensitive, both of them. They would be well served by the Temple, if you chose to have them trained."

She bit her lip. This particular train of thought was one she'd studiously avoided. "Do we have to do that?"

"It's not necessary to decide for a while," Anakin said, looking down.

"There's something you aren't telling me."

"They would want both twins, because of their midi-chlorians being so high, but it's unprecedented to take more than one child from a family. If you have them tested, you would be under a lot of pressure from the Temple. There would be little doubt among those who have such knowledge that the children were mine."

"Why is that?"

Obi-Wan answered for him. "Anakin has the highest midi-chlorian count on record: over 20,000. I only know because I ran the tests myself, while we were on Tatooine. The twins are both strong within the Force; far stronger than any youngling I've interacted with, and stronger than a number of adult Jedi. I don't doubt that their scores would both rival their father's."

Anakin seemed as distressed by the conversation as she was. "It's not something we have to decide now," he said, reassuring her, and she was sure, himself as well.

Her mother came back in then, and she took the twins and put them in their bassinets. "They'll be up in a few hours wanting fed," her mother predicted. "You should sleep until then."

She was glad that the Jedi had insisted upon a private room for her. It was actually something more of a suite, with an outer room and the inner room she was in. There was a second bed, presumably for the husband of the patient, but her mother was going to be sleeping there. Anakin and Obi-Wan, still seemingly wide awake, were guarding the door from the anteroom. She fell asleep, wondering now what the future would hold for the tiny babies she was so happy to have now.

* * *

Palpatine looked over the girl again, now that she was unconscious. It was easier for him to correct the physical damage that Grievous had done if she wasn't fighting him. It wasn't much, just some bruising, but bruising inside the skull tended to create more problems than just about anything else. He didn't heal her out of any consideration than that it would be more convenient for him to begin breaking her that day. The small kindness he was showing her would be repaid in pain later on that day.

"Bring her," he said to Grievous, turning his back and walking towards one of his many lairs, knowing that his creation would follow him.

* * *

Obi-Wan was apprehensive about what he should be doing with Anakin. There was so much that he was still untangling within his own mind about what he'd learned over the last few weeks that he wasn't sure where he stood on some issues. The part of him that was a Jedi Master on the Council, the part sworn to duty wanted them both back on Coruscant, back at their stations, now that the twins were born.

Another part of him, one Anakin had taken great pains to rid him of, though he hadn't quite succeeded, wanted to turn Anakin in to the Council. He ignored the thought. He had made a promise to Anakin, and he'd yet to go back on his word to the boy, and he wasn't about to start with this.

Then there was the part of him that was Qui-Gon's student. That part said that what was happening was actually good and right, and that the rules needed to change to accommodate the people who belonged to the Jedi Order, not the other way around, at least in this instance. It was the single comforting thought that was holding his sanity together at the moment.

"What are you thinking about, Master?" Anakin asked him, shaking him out of his reverie. He didn't turn away from looking out the window, but he did answer.

"What to do now, Padawan. The twins are safely here, so by all rights, we should be heading back to Coruscant soon."

"How soon?"

"Well, Anakin, that's the trouble. I'm not quite sure that's the right thing for either of us to be doing right now. If we are to change things so that what is happening to you doesn't happen to anyone else, I must work on constructing some fairly solid arguments, here, where I can think more clearly. I feel that Coruscant isn't safe any longer."

Anakin's silence did make him finally turn, and he found his former Padawan looking very pensive himself. "Is there anywhere that's safe, Master? The CIS attacked _Naboo_, for Force's sake."

"I know, Padawan. It may be that you are right, at least for the moment. It is something we must balance with this. I understand that being home is something you wish, but you have your duties as well."

Anakin didn't argue with him. It seemed that becoming a father was changing him in ways that Anakin might not even realize. It made him smile to think of his reckless young Padawan finally learning responsibility from this unlikely source. "Are you really going to argue for changing the Code?"

"I haven't thought about it thoroughly, but I could see that being a possibility."

"I think Master Qui-Gon would approve."

"I think you are right."

It was then that Padmé came out of her room. "Are you two going to go to sleep?"

Obi-Wan answered her. "It will not be entirely necessary for either of us to sleep for a day or so, but I imagine I will sleep while your family is here tomorrow. I don't know what Anakin's plans are for his rest, but he tends to go with less of that than I do anyway."

She turned her attention to her husband. "I'll rest in a couple of days," he informed her. "It's nothing for me to go two and three days without sleep." She sighed and shook her head, returning to bed. She'd gotten up to feed the twins, and she still looked fatigued.

"You know shorting yourself on sleep takes its toll on you."

"Not as much as it does on you, and I am accustomed to it."

He sighed, and turned back to looking out the window. "I'm afraid that right now, I'm really not sure what we should be doing."

"Well, maybe you should meditate on it," Anakin said, and Obi-Wan glanced at him to make sure he wasn't kidding.

"I might," he said after deciding that Anakin was at least not trying to poke fun at him.

"You keep looking at me as though you are expecting me to do something insane."

"No, I just am not quite used to the way that you are now. I stopped looking at you as though I thought you were going to do something insane years ago. I learned that you were actually always about to do something insane, and have just learned to plan accordingly."

"How do you plan for me being insane?"

"Well, I think it's a combination of knowing what I would do, and planning for you to do anything but."

"I am trying."

"I know. It isn't that I need you to do what I would do, but more a matter of learning what worked for both of us."

"So it doesn't bother you?"

"It is just the way that you are, Anakin. You've never given any consideration to your own personal safety, but I don't think you've really had to. Now maybe that will change."

"What do you mean?"

"You are a father now. It changes you."

"How would you know?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "Taking on responsibility for another's life isn't exclusive to parents."

It took Anakin a moment to figure out what Obi-Wan was talking about. "So you changed?"

"I did. Think back to when you first met me. I was eager to prove myself, and willing even to defy the Council so that I could train you, because it was what Qui-Gon wanted me to do."

"You did that for me?" Anakin asked, sounding amazed.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I didn't have to, but I would have. Qui-Gon was like a father to me."

"Do you think he would have been a good Master for me?"

"I think he would have understood you better than I did, but I don't have any way to make a comparison. He was an entirely different breed of Jedi. He was a Living Force Master, and, to him, listening to the Force was much more important than any silly rules imposed by the Council, or anyone else. It took me a very long time to understand that."

"Do you really understand that, Master?"

"I'm working on it. I do understand now where he's coming from. I can at least tell there is an island in the middle of the lake, so to speak."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Master."

"That's because you've always lived on the island. You've always been a part of the Living Force."

"I didn't know that there was any other kind," Anakin said. "Though I always thought you've tried to teach me from a backwards perspective."

"It is not backwards for anyone but you."

"What do you think that the Council will do if they find out about the twins?" he asked, suddenly growing serious.

"I don't know. I think it will depend entirely on exactly how they find out."

"You think I should tell them?"

"Maybe not immediately, but at some point, perhaps after a discussion of the origins of the Code as it currently stands has begun in earnest."

"I feels like I am letting the Jedi down by being here."

"I don't see it that way, Anakin. I think that you are doing exactly what you need to be doing. It may be some time before you realize that the Force ensures that you are in the right place and the right time to ensure that the things you need to get done can be done. You simply have to capitalize on the opportunities that are given to you."

"I think I've done that, as much as I have been able to."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Everyone has their moments to do different things. I'm just glad that I've gotten to be here with you for this one."


	17. Getting ready to go home

**AN:Welcome new reviewers **silverflight8, mlhkvh5, **and **AliuIce0814(Since I didn't say so last chapter).** This chapter is mostly all fluffy, but that's the great thing about this story, is it's got lots of places I can put mountains of fluff. **

**Considerations were made for any and all criticisms received on this story and some slight changes have been made to previous chapters (nothing that affects story integrety, I promise). I'm putting final touches on _In Sidious's Shadow, _Chapter 2, so that should be up soon. I hope to have something going on most all of my stories this week, and a new chapter of Jaedrea's journal will be up on Friday. **

* * *

Padmé watched Anakin holding their son, smiling at the transformation that had taken place in him over the past several days. Luke and Leia were three days old, and the medical team had finally decided to release her. The twins hadn't shown any problems for their relatively small size and somewhat premature birth. With two full grown Jedi to capture the attention of the two Force-sensitive infants, they had grown vigorously, and were both above their birth weights again. Luke had been particularly fascinated with Anakin, even to the point of fussing when he couldn't be held by Anakin for his feedings. And Anakin had been just as taken with both of them. They were truly a family now, though few knew it. Obi-Wan was a part of it as well, being somewhat willingly drug into the role of Uncle.

"Are you ready to give him to me to feed?" she asked her husband, who looked up at her from the baby.

"He will fuss," Anakin objected.

"He will fuss more if he gets hungry because he's becoming attached to you," she said, laughing at him. It was obvious that Luke adored his father, well, maybe. Then again it could just be that she was reading too much into the actions of a newborn. But there was a connection that Anakin and Luke had, that made them not want to be separated. It was going to be very difficult for both of them when Anakin went back to Coruscant. She had yet to decide what the best thing to do for her family was, her whole family. They would not be able to return to Naboo, probably not for a long time. Naboo had been evacuated, from what she could tell, even the Gungans were being evacuated, most of them to Ohma-D'un. Makeshift floating cities had been set up on the watery moon, giving the Gungans shelter, but not comfort. That would come later. Jar Jar had been instrumental in ensuring that his people understood how very dangerous the radiation would be, and had convinced the Bosses that the planet should be abandoned until it was safe once again.

The Republic government was actually having more trouble with the Human population of Naboo. There were some older residents, especially in more isolated areas that were refusing to leave. She sighed, knowing that the problems of Naboo were ones for another day, no matter how they pulled at her heart. Leia shifted in her arms, sighing contentedly.

"Here," she said to Anakin, "Burp her while I feed Luke."

"As you wish, Senator," he said teasingly. She frowned at him for the several seconds it took for her to stop resisting the smile that was threatening to come over her face. She laid Leia on her lap and took Luke from his father, and started the whole process over.

* * *

Seranth Devor woke for the second time that day, or at least she assumed it was only the second time, and that she was still on the same day as the last time she'd woken. She had no frame of reference to compare to the last time that she knew when it was. The pain from earlier was gone, and for that she was glad, though it filled her with a sense of dread as to exactly how long she had been out or what had been done to her while she was unconscious. She opened her eyes, but it didn't change the view. She sighed. The room she was in was completely dark. It was rumored to be one of the Sith's favored techniques to make people more pliable. She supposed that it might work, over a very long period of time. She reached out of herself to try to tap into the Force around her and found it dark, clingy, and absolutely foul. Wherever she was, it was a cesspool of the dark side. That didn't improve her mood any. It actually made her feel much worse, jumpy, and on edge. She realized that the dark side must have found a way inside her shields. She tried to work on blocking it out more effectively, but it didn't seem to help.

In fact, it seemed that she was only deconstructing her shields, and that thought made her fearful. The Force was making her do the exact opposite of what she wanted. The fear fed the darkness around her and started her into a downwardly spiraling loop. She stopped. She stopped fighting the Force, she stopped trying to build her shields up, or tear them down, or whatever it was that she was actually doing, but most of all she stopped the fear. It wasn't easy, but she put all of her training into it, and she was able to do it. She stopped being interesting to the Force, and it left her alone after a while. Once she felt firmly back inside her own head, she started examining what had happened.

* * *

Anakin spent a good deal of the day with Padmé and the twins. He was not going to have much time to spend with them, if any at all, when he returned to Coruscant. He wondered what color Luke's eyes were going to change to, if they did change at all. They were currently a shade of blue that was only a little darker than his own, but he had been informed that it could take six months for a baby's true eye color to show. Blue was a sort of default color. Leia's eyes were blue, though a good deal darker than her brother's already. He imagined that Leia would look like her mother, which would give her brown eyes, but he wasn't sure that it would actually turn out that way.

Padmé spent most of the morning amused with him, which meant that she wasn't upset because it was getting close to time for them to be apart again. He and Obi-Wan had spent a good deal of time talking. They talked about the Code, about Master Qui-Gon, the twins, love, and a number of other things. It was the first time that Anakin felt like there was truly nothing that he couldn't talk to Obi-Wan about. Their bond had strengthened considerably in the days since he had first told Obi-Wan that he was going to be a father, and it was continuing to strengthen daily. It was like getting to know Obi-Wan all over again, and he was sure that his Master felt the same about him.

_Still, life isn't perfect_, he thought, staring into his son's wide-eyed gaze. The boy was absorbing every bit of information that he could glean from his surroundings, and Anakin could feel the base foundations of understanding forming inside Luke's head. He did some of the Force exercises that he'd been taught to use with the youngest younglings, the six-month-olds, and he was surprised when they worked with Luke. _Safe,_ he formed the concept in his mind and projected it to Luke through the Force. Luke took to the concept quite easily, readily. He readily believed he would always be safe with his father. _Loved,_ Anakin added, for that was also true, though he would have never done anything of the sort with the crèchelings. Luke also accepted the fierce passion that defined his father, assimilating the information he received through the Force as readily as he did what he learned through his five senses.

Anakin thought about trying the exercises with Leia as well, but before he could get her and do it, he was interrupted by Sola coming in to help Padmé with packing.

* * *

Palpatine was unhappy as he watched over his charge; the girl that he hoped would become his next apprentice, if Skywalker failed to break. It would take a great deal more effort than if Kenobi had not interfered, but it was still possible. It wouldn't be much more trouble than breaking this girl was looking to be. She had already unworked his favorite dark trick three times. The trick worked much like bamboo fingercuffs. The harder you pulled on them, the tighter they held, but the moment you put pressure in the opposite direction, toward the center, the whole mess fell apart. There were other things that were just as easy to construct, and just as insidious that he could do to her to ensure her compliance.

He would need to feed her sometime soon, and there were chemicals that he could put into her food to enhance her reaction to the dark side. That would bring her down faster, but it wouldn't matter too much either way. All that mattered was that she reached the bottom of the well of despair, and she never got back out.

* * *

Obi-Wan was a bit surprised when his comlink went off. "Hello," he said as he turned it on.

"Obi-Wan. I was calling to see what progress you have made with Anakin."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Why do you want to know?"

Mace sounded slightly confused. "The Chancellor asked for Anakin yesterday."

Obi-Wan knew trouble when he heard it. "I sense no good can come of this, but it may be some time before Anakin is in a proper frame of mind to deal with darksiders."

"I don't know how much longer you can put this off, Obi-Wan. I can recall both of you, visions or no. The Chancellor is not a man to be trifled with."

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked, sensing that there was more going on than what Mace had thus far told him.

"The Senate has requested that the Jedi Council report directly to the Chancellor. There's talk that he wants to put a personal representative on the Council. With the way he's acting, I would say he wants that person to be Anakin."

"You have given me much to consider, Master Windu. I will make an assessment today as to whether we can come back to Coruscant anytime soon."

Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan from where he was sitting on the floor. "We have a duty, Master."

"Yes, we do, but the fact remains that I am not convinced that you are strong enough in your new mindset to deal with those of the dark side."

"I can do this, Master. Can you have faith in me that I can?" he asked, looking earnestly at his master. Obi-Wan could see the newly forged and as-yet-untested strength that Anakin now possessed. He just hoped it would be enough.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Yes, Anakin, I believe that I can do that for you. Destiny is not a woman easily denied."

"Are you going to call Master Windu back and tell him we are coming home?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I suppose I'd better," he said, flipping the comlink back on.

"Well, that was certainly quick, Obi-Wan," Master Windu said.

"I think the meditation has bored poor Anakin. He's quite eager to get back to Coruscant."

"When can we expect you?"

"In the morning, I think. It shouldn't be later than noon."

"Thank you for getting back to me so promptly."

"Your welcome, Master Windu. I will see you tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow, then. Give my regards to Anakin as well."

"Certainly," he said, shutting the comlink off once again.

"I'll go tell Padmé. What are we going to tell the Organas?"

"We will tell them that the investigation of the latest round of assassination attempts have been once again traced back to Nute Gunray."

"Meaning that she's really in no more danger than she normally is."

"Who's not in more danger than she normally is?" asked Breha, who seemed to have the most impeccable timing of anyone he'd ever met.

Obi-Wan answered her question. "Senator Amidala. We just received word from the Temple that the assassination attempts that were made on her were the work of Nute Gunray."

"So you've arrested him, or can you even find him?"

"He's slippery and seems to slip through whatever net we put up, but he will be dealt with soon," Anakin said, standing and knocking on the door that led to the inner room of Padmé's hospital suite.

She acknowledged him, and he opened the door. She smiled at him, though she noticed Breha before she could say anything to him. "Senator, I have good news."

He knew that she could tell Anakin didn't really mean it, but she said, "Oh, and what would that be?"

"Well, the assassination attempts that put you into hiding this time have been traced back to Nute Gunray. You have been cleared to go back to Coruscant, and we are being recalled to other duties."

She seemed slightly dismayed at what he said, but she didn't acknowledge it. "Very well, then, Knight Skywalker. I'm glad that this turned out to be nothing."

"It is still your life, Senator. Are you planning to go to Coruscant now? Master Obi-Wan told Master Windu that we would be there by noon, if you wanted to come with us."

"I think that would be acceptable. I will see what my parents want to do, and figure out what I am going to do with my family."

He watched as Anakin clearly remembered that they wouldn't be able to go back to Naboo, which would have been his favored plan to keep the children safe. "Perhaps they can come with you to Coruscant for a time. Not to your apartment, but perhaps there is somewhere that they could go to."

"The Temple has guest houses that we would allow you to use until you found more suitable accommodations," Obi-Wan said from the doorway, amused by Anakin's antics.

Padmé nodded. "I think that would work, but let me ask, and see what they want to do."


	18. Arrivals

**AN: I'm sure you are all eager to see this chapter up, as it gets everyone back on Coruscant and back into action. We will see where this takes us. If you have any suggestions at all, as I'm still not 100 on the conversation between Obi-Wan and Anakin, let me know. I'll be happy to adjust to make this work. **

**Thank you to my reivewers **pronker**, **Darth KenObi-Wan**,** Charlie Hayden**,** killing u with umbrellas**, **AliuIce0814**, **ElusiveMaverick**,** **and welcome **Isadora Johnson.

silverflight8**--Yes, Bail is back and forth to Coruscant while these last few chapters have been going on. Sereanth is clever, but not so clever as Palpatine. She is stubborn, though, and that comes from within, as well as being only 16(Not that I've mentioned that anywhere, but I thought I would throw that out there so you would know).**

* * *

Anakin picked Leia up to comfort her. She was not comfortable with space travel yet, it seemed to him. He and Padmé, though it was really more he and Obi-Wan, had arranged to bring everyone to Coruscant, quietly. It wasn't going to be easy to work around all of the people who really did not need to know of even the existence of the twins. That was the trouble that they were going to have for as long as Padmé stayed in politics; it didn't look like she was going to get out of it any time soon, with her home planet having been nearly destroyed.

It worried Anakin that Padmé wouldn't be able to take care of the twins by herself, and he definitely wouldn't be able to spend anywhere near the time that he would have liked with them, until they could convince the Council that the Code needed to be reevaluated. Luckily, her family would be readily available, and they had agreed to take on the bulk of the care for the twins. He was confident that they could ensure that the interpretation of the Code was changed, he and Obi-Wan together, but it was going to take time. Far more time that he would have liked. Leia demanded his attention, wailing until his attention was totally focused on her. "Are you feeling left out?" he asked her, wondering if the bonding he was doing with her brother would work with her as well. There was nothing to do but to try.

* * *

Seranth Devor was cold. This was the newest physical assault her captors had invited upon her. She estimated that the temperature in the room was about 10 degrees. It wasn't really cold, but it was less than ideal as far as she was concerned. She wasn't going to die because he'd turned the heat off. She'd also been given two thin blankets, which was the only sort of furnishings in the starkly plain room. It was only just enough to keep her from getting hypothermic while she was sleeping, but not enough to give her any comfort during the day.

It wasn't even cold enough, really, to start shivering yet. But it did make things uncomfortable, or more that the physical surroundings now more closely matched the dark coldness that was the twisted Force in this area. The tiny cell she had been given was lit once each day, as a small opening in the door rose to allow someone to shove a tray of food in. It hurt every time the little door came up, letting in, she knew, only the barest of illuminations to begin with, but there was also the matter of sustaining herself. She did not know what she was being fed, because it was not meant to be seen, only consumed. The first was something she had learned to endure, something that tasted reasonably good, other than the fact that it was heavily dosed with something containing capsaicin. It wasn't an uncommon chemical, but she had learned much about it as one of her fellow Padawans had actually been allergic to it. It grew in 'hot' peppers, and its sole purpose was to convince mammalian creatures that the stuff was not good to eat. The second substance was a sticky paste that had next to no taste. Somehow her captors knew if she didn't eat one or the other, and she'd tried both ways, and she got a double dose of what she hadn't eaten, and none of what she had. So she'd learned to eat both. There was also a container of water, which was more necessary for her to survive than the food was.

* * *

Obi-Wan walked down the ramp of the ship, hoping there wouldn't be anyone about the landing area. There wasn't, so he signaled to Anakin that it was safe enough to bring Padmé and the twins out, and get them settled in one of the Temple's guest houses. He used the Force to find one that hadn't been occupied recently, and directed them to the door. Once the twins were settled, he checked the chrono. It was close to twelve. "We must go, Anakin. I told Mace we shouldn't be later than noon."

Anakin glanced up, and he could see the tearing in his heart to have to go back to his duties so soon after the twins were born. "Yes, Master," was all he said, sounding resigned, but not resentful. Obi-Wan smiled, hoping that the time spent adapting to his new family would be enough to stay the Sith from capturing his best friend in their traps.

They walked back to the ship, securing it, since they had yet to, and then headed into the Temple proper. Anakin was nearly bowled over by an initiate, who ended up losing his balance as he rounded the corner and ran into the large man. "Easy there," Anakin said, helping the boy up.

"Master Skywalker, sir, I'm sorry," the boy said hurriedly, doing his best to become upright quickly so that he could make the proper bows and so forth that he seemed to think he should be making to two such esteemed Jedi, not that either of them were particularly apt to complain about the strict observance of that particular custom of the Temple.

"It's alright, Arien, and where are you going in such a hurry?"

The boy looked down as though he shouldn't be saying what he was about to say, which was a look that had often enough crossed Anakin's face. "Master Elgar sent me to Master Char'es with a message, but I can't find Master Char'es anywhere, and she's usually so easy to find, but she's not in her quarters and she's not in the Training Rooms."

"Have you tried the dining hall? It is nearly noon."

The boy brightened instantly. "No, Master Skywalker. Thank you, Master Skywalker," he said back over his shoulder as he ran off in the direction of the dining hall.

"He seemed in quite a hurry for a simple message, don't you think?"

Anakin smiled. "Well, that depends entirely on the message. Master Elgar can be quite intimidating when he wants to be, and he doesn't always realize it."

"Well, come on, we have to see the Council, and showing up late will only make them cranky."

"You mean it will only make Master Windu cranky," Anakin said, using his long legs to catch up to Obi-Wan easily.

"Don't let him catch you saying something like that."

Anakin grinned, "Yes, Master."

When they arrived at the door to the Council Chamber, they were ushered inside with no announcements; they were expected and the Council was waiting for them to be ready to begin.

Obi-Wan sat in his chair, something he hadn't done for several weeks. Anakin stood in the center of the room, under direct scrutiny from the several members of the Council present.

"Well, young Skywalker, with your quest are you finished?" the holographic representation of Master Yoda asked. He was contacting them from Kashyyyk.

He bowed his head humbly to the revered Master. "I am only just. I am still trying to understand everything, but the bulk of my work is done."

"Reveal to us will you the nature of these visions?"

"They are of death, destruction, nothing pleasant, and nothing that will come to pass. I know that now. They were a warning to keep me off the path I was unknowingly heading down. I think they may have also been sent or manipulated by the Sith."

"Difficult to see, the future is. Following visions, a dangerous business that is."

"Yes, Master," he said, looking up, and fixing Yoda in one of his intense stares, "I have learned my lesson in that."

Yoda nodded. "A change I sense in you."

"Yes, Master," Anakin said, but he didn't elaborate.

"Good this is, young Skywalker."

"Yes, Master."

"A task we have for you," he said, and then looked toward Mace Windu.

The stern Korun Master shifted slightly before he began speaking. "The Chancellor has been granted direct control of the Jedi Council by the Senate. It has been less than a month since Master Evan Piell was killed while leading troops on Kwenn. We have yet to fill that seat, and we expect that the Chancellor will take advantage of his new power and attempt to fill that with someone sympathetic to him and his causes."

Anakin was silent, not about to disagree with what Mace was saying. The conversations that Obi-Wan had been having with Anakin had hinted in this direction, but weren't anywhere near this direct.

Mace seemed slightly surprised at Anakin's lack of reaction, but he went on. "We expect that this person will be you. You are one of Palpatine's staunchest and most vocal supporters. Unfortunately, there seems to be a cloud of darkness surrounding the Chancellor and those closest to him, and this indicates that the Sith that we are looking for is working through politics to gain control of the things that he wishes to have control of."

"What are you saying, Master Windu?" Anakin asked.

"We think you will be asked by the Chancellor to become a part of the Council, it's been rumored while you have been gone that he's wanted to appoint someone to the Council himself, though I don't know that he knows the Council has found that out. If he asks this of you, we want you to accept, but you will have to deal very carefully with the Chancellor. The darkness around him makes it very difficult to believe that he is not under the sway of the Sith Lord. He cannot know that you have any inkling about any of this until the Sith reveals himself to you."

Anakin was silent for a time. "You ask something very difficult of me."

Mace's eyes narrowed as he looked at Anakin. "You have never backed down from something simply because it was difficult before."

"No, Master. But as I understand this assignment, I will be required to lie to the Chancellor, someone I consider a friend."

"The Chancellor is under the control, directly or indirectly, of a Sith Lord. We have no idea how much information that he could be trusted with, and if he is willingly and knowingly dealing with a Sith Lord, we definitely cannot trust him. I hope for your sake that is not the case, but we must deal with him as though he is until it is proven otherwise."

After the meeting was over they went to Obi-Wan's quarters. "I'm not sure how that went, Master," Anakin said as he sat down on the sofa.

"It went better than I expected. Most of the Council seemed quite impressed at your change in disposition," Obi-Wan said, sitting down across from him.

"I am not really sure about this new assignment that they are giving me."

Obi-Wan sighed. "The Council expects that you should be able to handle it, especially since you have matured somewhat since the last time that they saw you. They are showing a confidence in you that they have not had before. If you don't think you can do it, you can tell them that you won't."

He got up, looking out the window, pacing before it restlessly. "I don't know if I can act that well. I don't know if I can act as though nothing has changed for me, even though everything has. I don't like deceiving the Chancellor. He is my friend."

"Your friend is in danger. Knowing that he is in danger may only put him in more danger."

"But you don't know that for sure."

"Put yourself in the shoes of the Sith Lord," Obi-Wan said. "You are trying to gain control of the government, and more, and having done so, by gaining control of the Chancellor, there is nothing that you would want to jeopardize that. He will be ruthless in his control of the Chancellor, and if you expose the idea that you have any clue that the Chancellor is being controlled it may put both of you in mortal danger."

Anakin was silent for a long time. "I don't know if I can do this, Master. It will be difficult, acting like I haven't changed. Why does the Council think it necessary? For that matter, why do you think it necessary?"

"I think it necessary because you have changed drastically. I know you can't even see it for the most part. I think if you can let people get used to the new you a little at a time, it will be easier. The Chancellor will likely notice even the slightest changes in your actions, and be wary of you if you've changed too drastically."

"I'm not sure that I know how to be the person that I was when this all began," the newfound humility that Anakin was displaying would be the first thing he would have to hide.

"I do understand. There are some moments in our lives that define us. You have just had one of those, and now you are being asked to return to your former ways."

"Is it going to work, Master?"

"You know as well as I do even Master Yoda won't be able to see this."

Anakin flashed him a smile. "I know, but it doesn't hurt to ask."

* * *

Palpatine wasn't entirely unhappy with the day's events. Though no one had yet reported it on the HoloNet, Anakin was back, and Senator Amidala was surely with him. The first thing was good news, the second a major thorn in his side. She was entirely resistant to his manipulations, much to his dismay, and her status as the beloved queen during the Invasion of Naboo kept her insulated from more subtle attempts at prying her from her position as Senator, most of them failing miserably. The people of Naboo just refused to believe anything bad about her. Half of what he tried to have put on didn't even make it onto Naboo's local HoloNet, and that which did was spun into a positive light. "Senator dining with Jedi" was about the hobnobbing she was doing with prominent figures at the Jedi Temple, not about any possible torrid affairs she might be having with them. "Alderaan and Naboo: Alliance in the making?" was a serious news story, with no implication of anything there either.

It was strange; the obsession of the people of Coruscant was there to be plied with any story that remotely smacked of the slightest bit of dirty dealings, though he was careful to keep his own dealings well out of the sight of the media, but Naboo was more naïve, more innocent in a number of ways, though they weren't any more. The Naboo were to be scattered to the corners of the galaxy, and the Gungans were contained on the moon of Ohma-D'un, and might or might not return to Naboo when the planet was restored. I would have been his preference to have eliminated them entirely, but he wasn't able to do that, yet.

_Ah, well_, Palpatine thought, _I have other business to attend to._ He turned on the cameras that linked to the girl's cell. She was uncomfortable, and it showed in her body language. The persistently cool temperatures were wearing on her systems, because even though she was currently able to purge herself of the dark side taint he was inflicting on her, it wouldn't be long until she was no longer able to do so, and he would be able to begin to manipulate her. Because she was assumed to be still on another planet, no one had looked for her yet on Coruscant. It would be a long time before she would be sought anywhere near here. There was only the possibility that her Master would sense her presence if he came close enough to her, but she was an hour's drive in light traffic away from the Temple and the Senate Rotunda. The heat sensing cameras displayed the gradated temperatures in tenths of degrees, and she was maintaining her body temperature in acceptable ranges. There was the possibility that she would choose to end her life if she felt there were absolutely no hope of getting out of the situation she was in, but she wasn't even considering it, or at least he had yet to feel anything of the sort from her. He wasn't connected to her, so she would be able to hide her thoughts from him, but he doubted that she could even detect his mental presence.

* * *

Padmé was finally settled in, the twins, her family, everything. Everything except that Anakin couldn't be there to share with her the things that were most precious to her right at that moment. The guest house that Obi-Wan had shown her to had four sleeping rooms, which would work out well enough, though Padmé would likely have to go home some of the time. The twins could sleep in one of the rooms, her nieces in another, her parents and her sister and brother-in-law in the other two. If she stayed over, it would be in the room the twins slept in. She flipped on the HoloNet, turning to a search feature, and hunted around for more permanent accommodations while the twins took their afternoon nap.

She was surprised when she heard Luke crying, then glanced at the chrono and realized she'd been at her task for two hours. It was surprising to her that she could already tell the difference between the cries of two of them. She got up, and went into the bedroom where she had set up their bassinets, finding that Anakin and Obi-Wan were already there.

"I didn't hear you come in," she said.

"There is a back door," Anakin said, pointing it out in the kitchen, as they took the twins into the common room for her.

"How did your meeting go?" she asked, taking Luke from him.

"I don't know yet. I guess it went as well as can be expected, considering."

"Considering what?"

"I don't know what to think of my assignment, but it is something that I can stay on Coruscant for."

"What do you mean you don't know what to think of your assignment?"

He shrugged, obviously meaning he didn't want to discuss it further. He looked intently at Leia, who he had taken from Obi-Wan after he'd sat down. She was obviously enjoying the attention he was giving her.

"Do you know when my parents are supposed to be here?"

"They should arrive in the next hour or so," Obi-Wan said. "They aren't in orbit, or I would have been notified, for confirmation of their landing code."

"I hope they will be here soon," Padmé said, "I am worried about them, with everything that's happened."

Obi-Wan's comlink went off. "Master Kenobi here."

"This is Flight Control, confirming authorization of civilian craft to the Jedi Temple Landing areas."

"I have given such authorization. Thank you for notifying me," Obi-Wan told the Flight Controller.

"Yes, Sir. The vehicle should be landing shortly; we will direct them in."

"Thank you," he said, shutting the comlink off.

"Shall we go meet them, Master?"

"Yes, I think that is in order," Obi-Wan replied. "They shouldn't be too much longer, and we can bring them here."

Padmé breathed a sigh of relief that her family was finally within reach, and she wished she could go with Obi-Wan and Anakin to meet the ship, but with the twins to care for it would be impossible, so she would have to wait for them to get to the guest house. She glanced over to see Leia looking bewildered at having been placed in the carrier that was in the Living Room so that she could accommodate both of them by herself.


	19. Meeting with the Chancellor

silverflight8--**You're right, they should go unnoticed, but probably won't, because of Palpatine. **

general-joseph-dickson--**Welcome, and thank you for reviewing**

pronker--**Yes, that's exactly what Palpatine is hoping for. as far as Anakin, I hope I've got this explained well enough internally, or I'll have to go back and fix it. **

SkyBlueSw--**Well, thank you for joining us. Glad to hear a new voice. Naboo should get fixed, I think, though maybe it will just be in the process when I finish the story. Don't know yet, haven't gotten that far on that thread.**

* * *

Padmé was happy to have her parents and her sister and family back within arm's reach, and it wasn't just the help with the twins, though that was a blessing.

Anakin was going to be terribly busy with whatever the Council was having him do, or so he'd told her, tersely, though not quite angry, but he was strained by the task, whatever it was. Having her family around kept her mind off that, and his nearness-but-absence. She understood that Obi-Wan was helping in every way that he could, but there were some things that a person had to do for themselves, and it seemed this was one of those things for Anakin.

"Padmé," her mother called, and she came out of the room she was staying in with the twins to see what was the matter.

"Obi-Wan," she said, smiling at the Jedi Master. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I have just come to check on you. Anakin is busy with some errands for the Council. He should return to the Temple in a while, but I wanted to see how your family is settling in here while I have a free moment."

His interest was genuine, though she could see through him. He was worried about Anakin. "What dangerous thing have you sent your apprentice to do now, Obi-Wan?"

She caught the slight grimace on Obi-Wan's face before he suppressed it. Anakin _was_ doing something dangerous. "He is talking with the Chancellor."

There was far more going on here than Anakin talking with the Chancellor, but she knew that she either didn't really want to know or Obi-Wan wouldn't tell her. Probably both. So she tried to make light of the situation. "Well, I know Anakin would consider that terribly dangerous, especially if Mas Amedda was around, but I didn't know that you considered speaking with politicians a hazardous pastime."

A brief moment of relief crossed his face. "Well, Anakin doesn't deal as well with politicians as I do. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, and he is quite apt to take them at their word. It can be worrisome."

"I think he will be quite able to talk to the Chancellor without any major discord. They have been friends for quite a number of years."

She could have sworn that she heard him muttering under his breath, "That's what I'm afraid of," as he followed her as she went to check on the twins, but she dismissed it.

* * *

Palpatine settled into his chair, watching Anakin, who was pacing about nervously. "I am getting jerked around in every direction by the Council. First they say I can try to understand these visions that I've been having, then next thing I know, they are ordering me back to Coruscant, with not so much as a word of explanation. Then I get called before the Council the moment I get back, where I have to listen to them for two hours explain how I am undermining the efforts of the whole order!"

His anger at the situation was palpable, and it made the Sith Lord behind the mask of the dutiful Chancellor smile. It was going to be much easier than he thought to bring Anakin back into the place where he could be easily snapped. "Have they not done inexplicable things before?"

Anakin waved the thought off dismissively. "They are always doing things that are beyond my comprehension. I just wish I could understand what they want from me, because I swear it changes every week," he said, defeat overwhelming him and he sat down with his head in his hands. _Perhaps Kenobi has not done as much damage as I had thought_. It was time to set his plan into motion. "Anakin, the Senate has called on me to take direct control of the Jedi Council."

Confusion swept over the boy's face, "The Jedi no longer report to the Senate?"

"They will report to me . . . personally. The Senate is too unfocused to conduct a war. This will bring a quick end to things."

"I agree, but the Jedi Council may not see it that way," there he was back to defending the very people who'd just spent two hours giving him the third degree. It was frustrating.

"There are times when we must all endure adjustments to the constitution in the name of security."

"With all due respect, sir, the Council is in no mood for more constitutional amendments," Anakin said, and Palpatine agreed. Not that a small thing like the Jedi's disapproval was going to stop him.

"Thank you, my friend, but in this case they have no choice . . . this war must be won, and the power to do so has already been voted to me by the Senate."

"Yes, the war must be won," Anakin agreed, absently staring out the window, as he had gotten up to pace again.

"Anakin, I've known you since you were a small boy. I have advised you over the years when I could…I am very proud of your accomplishments. You have won many battles the Jedi Council thought were lost…and you saved my life. I hope you trust me, Anakin."

The question seemed to catch Anakin off guard for a moment, and he looked at Palpatine, "Of course," he answered quietly.

"I need your help, son," he said, making his voice sound vulnerable.

"What do you mean?"

Palpatine sighed, "I fear the Jedi. The Council keeps pushing for more control. They're shrouded in secrecy and obsessed with maintaining their autonomy . . . ideals. I find simply incomprehensible in a democracy."

"I can assure you that the Jedi are dedicated to the values of the Republic, sir," Anakin said, sounding confident of his faith in the Council.

"Nevertheless, their actions speak more loudly than their words. I'm depending on you."

"For what? I don't understand," Anakin said, looking at him earnestly with that piercing blue-eyed stare that he had.

"To be the eyes, ears, and voice of the Republic," Palpatine said, and watched as Anakin turned back to staring out of the window. "Anakin, I'm appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council."

Anakin's eyes went wide as he turned back to look at Palpatine, "Me? A Master? I am overwhelmed, sir, but the Council elects its own members. They will never accept this."

"I think they will; they need you more than you know."

"I must think about this," Anakin said.

"Of course, but don't be too long about it, the Council will surely have you on another mission if you don't accept this position soon."

"I've already been assigned to another mission, but it should be short and I should be back to Coruscant in a few days. They will want me to report in person once it is finished."

"What kind of mission is it?"

"Scouting. Nothing too strenuous. I must be going; Master Kenobi is expecting me shortly, we must plan out what we are going to do on this little mission," Anakin said, heading for the door.

"When can I expect your answer?" Palpatine called out after him.

Anakin paused and turned back. "I accept your appointment if the Council will allow it."

The decision looked impulsive, though Palpatine knew better. He was trying to not appear too eager to take on the challenge Palpatine was putting before him. He watched Anakin exit the room, confident that he would have a new apprentice sooner rather than later.

* * *

Obi-Wan felt the wash of turmoil that Anakin was exuding long before Anakin came through the door to his quarters. He had been keeping water warm for tea since Anakin had left for his talk with the Chancellor. Anakin always expressed himself better if he had something to handle, some physical object, like a teacup, for his hands to hold, touch, and distract himself with.

Anakin's tea was almost ready when he walked in and picked it up. They had been paired for long enough that he didn't even question its presence. "I feel so awful."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because, I feel like I'm betraying Palpatine by lying to him," the earnest sincerity in his eyes made Obi-Wan feel badly for what he was having to ask him to do.

"What happened?"

"I could feel the Sith. I really could, but I think only because I was looking for him."

"And?"

"I think he bought the act. It was very subtle, behind everything, low key, but I know I wasn't imagining it. When I told Palpatine I would accept, I could feel the flare of triumph. I wonder why?"

Obi-Wan sighed. Political machinations were something Anakin had never caught on to. "Because, he thinks, rightly, that if the Council allows this, it will only be so that we can better spy on the Chancellor. Your loyalties would be divided, and you would have to choose with whom your loyalty truly lies, at some point of crisis."

Anakin was silent and thoughtful for a long time as he examined Obi-Wan's conclusions. "If you hadn't learned about the twins, it could have been those dreams."

Obi-Wan nodded. "It probably would have, actually. The Chancellor was requesting your presence from the day we got back to Coruscant."

"I don't want to take on this responsibility, not now, not with everything else."

"The only person out there who can do it is you. I understand if you don't feel you have enough faith in yourself to do this, but I have faith in you. You are the Chosen One. I refused to see that for a long time, but every day it becomes more clear."

"I cannot escape my destiny, Master, but it doesn't mean I want to embrace it just now either."

"You may not have a choice."

Realization swept over his face. "I have to do this, don' t I?"

"If there is any hope that you can save the Chancellor from the Sith, yes, I don't imagine you have much of a choice."

"What if I can't save him? What if this isn't enough?"

"If you cannot save him, then he cannot be saved." Obi-Wan said with a sigh.

Anakin looked down at his cup of tea. "I wanted this for so long. For the Council to trust me, to be on the Council, to have my abilities recognized, and now that I have all of that, I don't want any of it. I just want to be left to the simpler duties I had weeks ago."

Obi-Wan smiled. "You will still have all that, but perhaps it would be better to live where you are, not where you want to be. Why don't you go meditate in the Room of a Thousand Fountains for a bit?"

Anakin lit up at the thought, one that hadn't occurred to him, but he apparently saw the reason that Obi-Wan asked him to do so. "I'll do that, Master, thank you," he said, drinking the last of his tea, and setting the cup on the table.

"I'll be by later. We do have a Council Meeting this afternoon. You don't want to be late to your first one, do you?"

"No, Master. I will see you when it is time, then."

* * *

Seranth Devor was sleepy, but sleep meant dreams, and in this place of darkness, dreams meant nightmares. Staying awake indefinitely was not an option, though she'd tried. Today there was something new, something ephemeral at the very far range of her Jedi senses, something familiar, but it was so fleeting, she couldn't even catch it long enough to identify what it was. She grasped at it desperately through the Force, but even that didn't help. She broke into tears as she realized either it was too far away, or the dark Force was playing with her again. She curled up in a ball between her blankets, crying herself into a restless sleep.

* * *

Anakin sat in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, as Obi-Wan had suggested. He wasn't quite sure what he expected, but it _was_ calming to be there. The dark emotions that had gathered over the day melted away, almost as though there was someone helping them along. He sighed a little as the peace he'd been seeking unconsciously flowed through him, but the peace was interrupted by the nagging feeling that someone was watching him. It bothered him enough that he opened his eyes, and found no one there, at least not to his five senses. He closed his eyes again, but the Force kept nagging at him—someone was out there. He let the Force guide him this time, not trusting his eyes and ears, and found, indeed, someone was watching him. A familiar figure immerged as he focused his Force-attuned senses toward the shimmering blue representation of one who had once been alive. "Hello, Master."

"_You do not seem surprised by my appearance, young Skywalker."_

"You were never one to follow the rules when you were alive. Why should that change just because you are dead?"

Qui-Gon nodded his agreement to Anakin's assessment. Qui-Gon walked over toward Anakin a few steps, and seated himself in front of the young man. _"You have much to learn in the art of deception."_

"Do you think the Chancellor is in danger?"

"_Either one of the Chancellor's very trusted aides, or the Chancellor himself is a Sith Lord. You must tread carefully, Anakin. Even I cannot see the truth of this matter. Even Yoda cannot see."_

Anakin bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Why must I use deception in this, Master?"

Qui-Gon sighed. _"It may be easy for you to believe that the Chancellor is an unwilling participant in this, just as you have been up to this point. But it went far beyond that many years ago. I believe that Palpatine knows who the Sith Lord we seek is. It may not be possible for you to save your friend, even if there was a point in time that he did not know he was being manipulated."_

"That's the role you want me to play, isn't it? The unseeing. Being manipulated without realizing that that is what is happening."

"_I would rather not place you in this role at all, but circumstances are forcing you into it. Yes, the 'unseeing' is an accurate description of the role you are supposed to play."_

"Are you here to teach me about deception?"

"_Yes, to an extent. I am truly here because I simply wish to see you, but this is also a path you need to explore. You did well in your talk with the Chancellor earlier today."_

Praise he felt he hadn't earned made Anakin blush. "I don't want to do well. I want to find the Sith Lord."

"_And you will. You are the Chosen One. You have another agenda to follow today, though. Do you not wish the Code to be changed?"_

"I do," he said fiercely.

"_Well, no time like the present. This will help you with the understanding of deception, I think. Master Yoda might figure things out, but he's got a soft spot for younglings. You might even let him in on the secret. You never know what might happen then."_

Anakin felt their connection fading, and he closed his eyes. "Thank you, Master," he said, and felt an acknowledgement from the Force Ghost. The talk with Qui-Gon had unsettled him, far more than just about anything else could have. The thought had not been presented that the Chancellor might be in the running for Sith Lord. It wasn't something that would have crossed his mind, and it added an entirely new dimension to the interactions he'd had with Palpatine.

But somehow the peace he had found so easily before he'd spoken with Qui-Gon came back. He was finally learning to enjoy, live the moment. The future _would_ take care of itself. The past was nothing he could do anything about. There was only now, and that was the place he needed to be.

"Ready, Anakin?" he heard Obi-Wan calling out to him, and he opened his eyes and smiled at his master.

"I think so," he said. Obi-Wan looked at him quizzically, but didn't say anything. He was quite ready for just about anything at that moment, he thought. Except maybe Palpatine. He banished the doubt a bit more forcefully than was perhaps proper, but it was as effortless as it had been for him to release his feelings earlier. "Is it easy for you to release your emotions into the Force?"

It was a quiet moment before Obi-Wan answered, "No. I struggle with it. Sometimes it is easier than others. When I am closer to where I think Qui-Gon was trying to take me."

Anakin nodded. "I understand, Master. Let's go see what the Council has to say, shall we?"


	20. Xanfer

**AN: Sorry about the delays in getting stuff up. My life is constantly shifting from one extreme of insanity to another. I hope you can forgive me, since I'm putting up three chapters now of different stories, and hopefully one more later this afternoon, after I polish it up a bit more. **

**SkyBlueSw:Yes, finding out that the Chancellor is a Sith will hurt him, but now that he's got the full backing of his Master, it's not going to devistate him in the way that it did in the movies.**

reviewer:**Line breaks should have been fixed in all of the chapters. I went back and fixed everything except Shadows of the Sith, I think. I'll do that one when insanity slows a bit. :) The thing with Grievous smiling was inside his own head, so the idea was somewhat sound...though I am thinking I went back and corrected. That was Yoda1976's insertion, though I usually catch his silliness, sometimes it gets by me. I should proof better. **

**pronker: Don't want things to be easy for Anakin, do you? :)**

**silverflight:glad you're enjoing, and hope that you continue to do so. I think I will be including something about Qui and Obi talking in a few chapters, but I'm not sure. Obi-Wan still has to truly believe that it's possible.**

* * *

Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin, his former Padawan having just settled into his chair for the first Council meeting of his life. Anakin seemed calm, much calmer even to his senses than he had been for quite some time. He smiled encouragingly as Anakin glanced at him, and Anakin smiled back. It was slightly mischievous, but not overly so. It remained to be seen whether it would interfere with his ability to function in the Council meeting.

Everyone else seated themselves, and Master Yoda said, "This meeting, come to order you shall," and nearly instantly everyone was quiet. "Speak about the war must we now. Goes well, it does not. A new strategy, shall we consider, with Dooku's death?"

"Yes, a new strategy is probably in order," Ki-Adi-Mundi said, "What do you think, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I am uncertain as to the best course of action will be. Anakin is one of our better strategists. Perhaps after he has had a chance to evaluate the situation he can come up with something?" he looked at Anakin and he nodded his agreement.

"Something else to discuss, have we?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin said deferentially.

Yoda considered for a moment. "Allow you to speak we shall, though expect this you should not."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said. He pulled out a datapad, and began to read what seemed like a prepared speech. Obi-Wan was impressed that he'd had the time between everything else he'd been doing.

"The Jedi Code has evolved over many centuries. It is the core of the Jedi Philosophy, and it is the first thing that young Jedi learn. Unfortunately, it is incorrect."

There was a murmur of dissatisfaction that went through the Council, but no one actually said anything. Anakin glanced at Master Yoda, but he just nodded for Anakin to continue. "At the time of Odan-Urr, five thousand years ago, the Code was re-interpreted to read as it currently does. This was not the intention of Odan-Urr, and it is my opinion that the way that the code is taught should be changed. The code in its original form seems not substantially different, but in learning different interpretations of the code, the Jedi may learn to better serve the Republic."

Stunned silence followed his short speech. Even Obi-Wan had no idea that Anakin could put those kinds of words to his passions. He'd hit every major point they had discussed, and he'd done so succinctly, and without getting overly emotional about it. He felt very proud of Anakin right at that moment, and was sure that helping him with his family had been the right thing to do. He left any doubts he had previously held behind at that moment. "What would you suggest?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, trusting that his former Padawan had come up with something, expecting a question of that type.

Anakin smiled slightly. "Odan-Urr wrote a book, a primer for the Code, and its use was restricted to Master-level access after Sarriel Kerned, a man of questionable loyalties, suggested it. The Old Code was abandoned at that point, about twenty-five hundred years ago. I would like to reinstitute the book's use in Initiate training."

"Of what book do you speak?" Master Yoda asked.

Anakin glanced down at his notes, and Obi-Wan realized that he hadn't even given Anakin a chance to read it yet. "_The Teachings of Master Odan-Urr_." Anakin was trusting that Obi-Wan knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Consider this, the Council will," Yoda said with finality. "Other business do we have?"

Obi-Wan expected little after Anakin's announcement, and there was nothing else. Anakin's first Council meeting seemed to have gone well enough. He'd heard from a couple of the Council members in the day since they'd returned to Coruscant that they thought that it would be a complete disaster, but it wasn't and he was satisfied that Anakin was doing as he saw was right.

Anakin waited for him as he pulled himself from his musings. "Well, Master?" he asked.

"I think that went well, all in all. We should go see Jocasta," he answered and Anakin hesitated just a moment before nodding.

Before they could head off, Master Tiin came up to them. "Well, Anakin, it looks as though you've been doing research on this for quite some time," he said

"Yes, I was twelve when the subject first came to my attention," Anakin replied easily.

"Oh, and how was that?"

"I was reading about the time of the Great Library of Ossus, and came across some works detailing the older version of the Jedi Code."

"Really, Padawan access items?"

"Stuff with boring titles, but yes, it was all Padawan-level. Jocasta has never trusted me very much and watched me suspiciously anytime I was in the library without my Master, and I think she watched me from a bit more distance, though just as carefully even when Obi-Wan was down there with me."

"So what's in this book?"

It was at that point that Obi-Wan interrupted. "Master Nu told me she had enough copies of the book to start Initiate training immediately if we so chose. You could go read the book."

"Ah, so you're in on this one, Obi-Wan?"

"Well, only to the extent of verifying that Anakin is right on target for this one. He's done most of the research himself."

"Really? That is quite amazing."

"Yes, my Padawan does outdo himself occasionally," Obi-Wan said, then asked, "If you will excuse us?"

"Certainly," Master Tiin said, and they finally escaped the Council.

* * *

Xanfer eased himself out of meditation, disappointed again. It was with increasing sadness that he meditated these days. It was maddeningly disarrayed, ever since he'd lost his Padawan. She had gone out to the village of Bernastra, barely a blip on the radar so far as most things were concerned, but it was the main farming community of Boz Pity, and in order to ensure that the planet maintained stability, it was important that Bernastra was reasonably healthy. She had not arrived at Bernastra the day she disappeared, nor could they find any evidence of her passing in any particular direction.

He had felt the sudden dimming of their bond, one that indicated unconsciousness, usually, but even his immediate action hadn't done anything to find her. The villagers had been out in force shortly after, since the walk to the village took her less than ten minutes, and she was very punctual. Days had gone by before he had admitted defeat, and he had returned to Coruscant, but had yet to actually go before the Council and give a full report of what had happened.

He'd intended to do so nearly immediately, but something stopped him. His meditation, usually a smooth process, had been much more unsettled since he'd gotten back on Coruscant, as though there were something just outside his range of perceptions that he _needed_ to be fully aware of. He had tried deeper meditations, and every different meditation technique that he knew, but to no avail. He kept feeling more and more restless each time he meditated, that he needed to be moving, doing anything but sitting still, but though the impulse was stronger than what he was used to having to fight, but he had eventually quashed it so that he could attempt to meditate, but all of it to no avail. His meditations had provided no insight, and every time he tried anew, the impulse to wander was stronger than the last one.

He had finally given up, and prepared his report. Thus, he was standing in front of the Council Chamber doors, awaiting their readiness to accept his report. "Master Xanfer," the Knight who was currently guarding the door said, "The Council will receive you now."

He walked in, finding twelve beings ready to hear his plight, though some of them were only holographic representations, with the actual members far away, leading troops in this blasted war. "Masters, I thank you for indulging my lack of progress. It is difficult to say that I have no idea what has happened to my Padawan."

Piercing blue eyes caught his for a moment, an intense stare that was deflected by his attention turning to one of the other Masters, the one next to him, Obi-Wan, with whom he was somewhat acquainted. A short shake of Obi-Wan's head, and the blue eyes dropped, and when he looked back up, he was merely listening, curious. "We were in our last week of clean up duty on Boz Pity, and she went out to Bernastra, and I felt her fall unconscious, but intense searches of the area by myself and the area villagers for days after did not reveal her presence anywhere. I do not want to say that she is dead…"

"Then don't," the man with piercing blue eyes said.

He looked down, and looked back up, "But I can find no other reasonable explanation as to why I cannot contact her through our bond, or why she doesn't answer her com, and she hasn't contacted the Temple."

"Mmmm, correct, Jedi Skywalker is, assume her death prevents her contact you should not. Other things it may be. Among the missing we will list her. A Padawan you may take from among those who have lost their Masters, if you choose, until Seranth is returned to you."

"Thank you, Masters," he said, gaining hope from their words. He looked again at the man with the piercing blue eyes again. was This truly their famed Hero With No Fear? He was so young, and yet he held the confidence of one who truly could be on the Council, and he _was_ there…perhaps the rumors that the boy was the Chosen One was true.

"Dismissed you are. A few more days you will have here, but return to your duties you should soon."

* * *

Anakin was eager to be out of the Council meeting; something was telling him that the missing Padawan of Xanfer was a bit more important than the curt dismissal he was getting from the Council would indicate. _Meditate…I need to meditate about this, _he thought, then focused again on what Master Fisto was saying about the lightsaber training program.

He was silent for the rest of the meeting, though he observed. He didn't get lost in his own thoughts again, which was actually rather surprising. His proposal to change the Code wasn't even brought up, and they had very little other business otherwise.

"To a conclusion we bring this meeting. Unless something else to discuss, have we?" Master Yoda asked, and he looked directly at Anakin. He shook his head; he wasn't quite in the right mindset to discuss his thoughts on the Code right then. Yoda nodded, smiling, and pounded his gimmer stick against the floor, signifying that the meeting was indeed finished.

He was rather surprised to find Xanfer there, waiting for him. "Master Skywalker," he began.

"I am not graced with that title yet, Xanfer, I am just a Knight, like you."

Xanfer nodded. "So why are you on the Council?"

"It's complicated. I have some things to attend to, but I can spare a little time for you. Did you want to discuss your Padawan?"

"Yes, is there somewhere more private that we can do that?"

"Yes," he turned to Obi-Wan, "Master?"

"I will come," he answered the unasked question.

"Let us go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, I find it easier to meditate there."

Xanfer didn't seem particularly happy with that particular answer, but they all filed into the turbo lift, heading from the top of the Temple to the bottom.

The large distance that they travelled in the short time made him feel much better. He had gone from a place that was currently in tune with the Unifying Force to a place completely in tune with the Living Force. He breathed a sigh of relief when the doors opened, and he started down the familiar path to his favorite fountain.

He felt more than heard the others following him, but he was more intent on getting where he was going, where the comfort of the Living Force was the strongest, where he could think, and not worry about the Sith Lord, or the Council or even his wife and children, as precious as they were to him.

He settled into a spot he'd found many years ago, a spot that seemed neglected, but well utilized over the centuries, a place that was very strong with the Living Force. He felt the other two settle nearby.

He sighed, grounding himself in the Force properly. He opened his eyes as his awareness started to slowly spread out.

"Why are we here, Knight Skywalker?"

"It's easier to hear things here," Anakin answered Xanfer's question. "You have had trouble contacting her through your bond."

"Yes, I would also have trouble contacting her if she were on another planet, which is far more likely than her being on Coruscant."

"I felt a sense of frantic urgency about you when you walked into the Council room," he stated. "What has been going on?"

Xanfer sighed. "I don't know. It's like there's something at the edge of my vision, I only catch glimpses of it, and it never materializes. It's frustrating in the extreme."

"There's something else," Anakin stated. "Something out of the ordinary."

It took Xanfer a while to come up with a response. "I've been hit with a pretty bad case of wanderlust lately, but it's nothing unusual."

"It's not?"

"I've fought wanderlust most of my life."

"Why?"

"As a very young Padawan, I was never one to sit still for my meditation. I much preferred to stand at the very least, and I sometimes found that I actually meditated better if I was pacing or doing something that involved movement, rather than being still. My Master didn't approve, and was mostly successful at enabling me to control that impulse, though I still meditate better if I'm not sitting still."

"I often feel that way myself. I usually find that if I am having a particularly severe inability to be still, there is a reason behind it."

"I'd not thought about that," Xanfer said.

"I am sometimes more in tune with the Force, not that it makes my life any easier. I can just tell better if the sensations I am experience are from within or without," his eyes closed, and after a moment of concentration, he smiled. "If you wouldn't mind trying to meditate, since that seems to be when the problem most affects you?"

"No, I wouldn't mind. If you say this is a better place to meditate, then perhaps I will find it so as well," Xanfer said, adjusting his position slightly so that he was in a proper meditative pose.

* * *

Palpatine watched Seranth as she cried again. The tears came often now, and it wouldn't be long before she would be ready to welcome his company, after the tears stopped. He'd read many accounts of torture in his eight decades of life, and he was quite good at taking unusual situations and using them to his benefit. He wasn't the first to torture by depriving the victim of company. It wasn't really his preferred method, but he had too much else to concern himself with to spend time actually torturing her.

He sighed, turning his attention to those other things, the things that were dividing his attention from what he was truly wanting to do: either hold Anakin in harm's way for long enough that he broke, or break her so that he wouldn't have to worry about the so-called Chosen One. Not that what he was doing was going to be any less entertaining, but he was first and foremost, a Sith, and he was a Sith deprived of an Apprentice.

A Senator was in his office, protesting the latest in a long series of bills, each giving him a tiny crumb more power. It was somewhat annoying, but not to the extent that he couldn't sit there watching with a look of dignified concern on his face. He loved the part of his existence where he was able to take so much from people before they protested. The weak complaints were amusing, though the man's tone was still far from what it should have been. Bail Organa always complained much better than this man did.

Unfortunately, unlike this man, he also took action. That was something that was beginning to become an annoyance, something he would have to look into taking care of. Some of his thoughts turned to what could be done about Bail Organa and his followership, as he said things to soothe the man in front of him. "Senator, I understand your concerns. In fact, I share them. I am sure you understand that these desperate times require desperate measures. I hope that I am worthy of the trust that the Senate has invested in me, and pledge to return the powers granted to me as soon as the war has been won."

"Oh. Well, there aren't provisions for that in any of the bills recently passed."

"What would they say? Give me a time limit? I must do everything within my powers to ensure that the Republic is safe. Time has no meaning in a war, and provisions such as you seem to be suggesting would only make the war longer."

"What do you mean?"

"If there were provisions that set definite times for actions, like say this latest one, giving me control of the Jedi Council, then the CIS would simply bide their time until the time ran out on that bill."

Comprehension dawned on the Senator's face. What he had said was true, and the argument he had presented was a valid one. The fact that there could be other provisions, such as the end of the war, didn't need to be mentioned. The Senator was happy, and that made Palpatine happy. He could probably count on the man for a vote or two in the near future.

* * *

Padmé had expected either Anakin or Obi-Wan to drop by at some point during the day, but they hadn't and it was late afternoon. She was still taking a leave of absence from the Senate. While the work wasn't usually stressful for her body, it was very stressful for her mind, and that put stresses on her body that she wouldn't be able to cope with, but only for a week or two, if she had her way. It was out of the question to leave Jar Jar in charge for eight or more weeks, on top of the three that he'd already been the only official Senator from Naboo attending. It set her nerves on edge to think of the impending disaster that could be if she left him alone for long enough. He was far more innocent than she had been even when she had first arrived on Coruscant at fourteen. She wouldn't have dreamed that the future had held what it had for her, only fourteen more years in the future.

The twins were looking up at her from their bassinettes, and she smiled back down at them. Luke seemed to like that, grinning and clapping his hands together. It wasn't a coordinated movement, but she thought it was adorable. Leia seemed the more serious one, she could tell already, not stooping to silly antics to amuse her mother. She absorbed her surroundings in relative silence, though she was expressive, while Luke cooed and made noise about everything. Luke was much more interactive. She laughed at the thought, and Luke laughed back at her, while Leia scrunched up her face, probably trying to decide what she was doing. She didn't laugh, but the intense concentration went away after a moment, and Leia went back to looking up at her mother.

"Are they awake?" Sola asked from the doorway.

"Yes, I just finished feeding them. I just can't believe that they are already so different."

"What do you mean?"

"Luke, he's so happy, already he's smiling at me, and Leia, she's intense, always trying to figure everything out."

Sola's expression was amused as Padmé looked at her. "You are going to find that they change, and faster than you want, and way faster than you ever thought possible. I remember when Pooja was born, I spent time comparing her to Ryoo, and I decided that Pooja was going to be wilder, more like you, before you got into the Legislative Youth Program."

Padmé blushed crimson. "I wasn't that bad. I had you to look after me."

"Yes, lucky thing, too. You have no idea how much trouble I kept you out of. Ryoo is the same way. I look at them and see us all over again. I think Mom cursed me, the way mothers do, to have children just like she did."

Padmé laughed. "Are you sure it's not just genetics and the fact that you had two girls?"

"Probably is," she said, walking into the room, and admiring the two infants. "Well, what have we here?" she asked Luke.

He bubbled back at her, reaching for her. Sola shook her head. "I swear both of mine were a couple of months old before they started doing that."

"Well, I don't have any basis of comparison, but maybe they are getting an early start."

"That they are," she said, picking up her nephew, and laying him across her shoulder.

Padmé picked up Leia, which suited Leia just fine. She waved her hand around, getting it caught in some of Padmé's hair. "No, no, sweetheart, you can't play with Mommy's hair," she chastised her young daughter, pulling the locks gently from Leia's hand.

Sola laughed. "She's just jealous; she wants hair of her own, Padmé."

"Well, she is just going to have to wait."

"When are Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker going to be by?"

"Sometime soon, I hope. I am not sure, though. They never make definitive plans with me. The Council involves too much uncertainty," she said, brushing her hair back over her shoulder, out of Leia's reach, having finally detangled the girl's fingers.

"How is he taking to the appointment to the Council?"

"Hard. He's been wanting some sort of recognition of his abilities, his status, and now that it's been given to him, I think he's realizing that Obi-Wan was telling him the truth, that it's not everything he's been making it out to be. I could have told him that, but it wasn't like he was going to believe me any more than he was Obi-Wan."

Sola moved Luke to her arms, and he promptly fell asleep. She sighed. "I forgot how much they sleep for the first few months. Most of their awake time is taken up with eating until they hit the crawling stage."

"So I've been told. I'm just going to try to enjoy my children, and take things one day at a time, at least for the next couple of weeks."

"Alright. You should take lots of holos, though."

"Sola," she said warningly.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave you be."

"You'd better," she said fiercely, and once she decided that Sola really had relented on the parenting advice, she said, "But you could get the holocamera for me."


	21. A Change

**AN:What I have for the Potentium is a bit sketchy, so I filled it out quite a bit, hopefully this jives well with canon. I suspect I may have stepped beyond the bounds of the canonical. Umbarans are near human, so the extended lifespan is a stretch, but considering Master Yoda is 900 when he dies, perhaps not too much.**

**Thanks to silverflight8 for your critique, and I will think on how to best soften the tone of the Council, because there is a certain amount of hardness there. Three years of war makes casualties just numbers to a certain extent. **

**Thanks everyone for reviewing. On to the chapter!**

* * *

Anakin found himself in a bit of a quandary. He wasn't usually in the position of giving advice. Especially about meditation. If anything, he was probably the last person to be consulted about troubled meditation. And yet, here he was, trying to figure out why Xanfer, someone he'd never met, was having trouble meditating. He was out of his depth. But there was something, maybe. The Force was telling him he _needed_ to understand this. Besides, this was Seranth's Master. He'd known her since she was three, and he'd ventured down to the crèche for the first time when he was ten. He owed her this much, at least.

He didn't try to actually meditate. That he knew was pointless, but most especially here. The Living Force did not require meditation, it required action. There was a reason it was called the Living Force. _Concentrate on the here and now. _The whispered command came from somewhere inside the Living Force. It also came in the form of Qui-Gon's voice. He struggled to obey, but just as it was nearly impossible for him to let everything go, so that he could meditate with the Unifying Force, it was also difficult to let the uncertain future go completely in favor of concentrating on the _now._

_It is not necessary to completely abandon thoughts of the future, but they must be in the background. Concentrate on the now, but you do not have to do it to the exclusion of everything else, Anakin. It must be your main focus, not your only one. The Living Force is not so harsh a master as the Unifying Force._

He nodded, and looked at Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan wasn't opening himself to the Living Force. He couldn't hear the voice. Anakin heard a chuckle. _Tell him this: Don't center on your anxiety, Obi-Wan._

"Don't center on your anxiety, Obi-Wan," he said to his Master, and Obi-Wan raised one eyebrow.

_Keep your concentration on the here and now, where it belongs,_ Qui-Gon's voice insisted.

"Keep your concentration on the here and now, where it belongs," he said, even taking on the slightly admonishing tone he'd heard in Qui-Gon's voice. Obi-Wan scowled at him, thinking it was some trick or another of his, but he started following the advice, at least.

He turned his attention to Xanfer, who was trying to do what Obi-Wan would call a proper meditation. "That," he said with a slight amount of distain, "is not how you meditate _here._"

* * *

Palpatine looked across the desk in one of his many offices, this being one he used only in his role as a Sith. Jander Xantel and Leinea Shellan, two of Dooku's dark acolytes, were standing uncomfortably across from him. He was fully hooded, so they couldn't look at much other than the dark recess where his face would be. Xantel was Falleen, and his green skin was typical for one of that race, though he was not, by human standards anyway, at all handsome. He had found Falleen to be an interesting distraction, so he would keep this one around until he failed to be entertaining.

Shellan was a human female, with enough Force potential to be useful, but not enough to become a Sith, a Jedi, or a threat. It might be possible to make use of them in his quests with Skywalker and Devor. "You have been of use to Lord Tyranus. You may be of use to me. Will you work for me?"

They considered, but not for too long. The alternative would be their deaths. Whether they realized that remained to be seen. "We will. Lord Tyranus's death was at an unfortunate time."

He nodded. Their lack of reservation at agreeing to continue working for the Sith marked them as corrupt or stupid, and he didn't tolerate stupidity. "I have a mission for you then."

* * *

Seranth sat in her cell. Her food had been brought for the day. She was sure that it was brought at erratic times to ensure that she didn't have any concept of time passing. She shuddered as she thought of the Sith Lord who had ordered her capture. He was kind enough to leave her alone, or maybe it was just that he was too busy to bother with her now. She didn't even know what planet she was on now—just that it wasn't Boz Pity. She thought back to the day she'd been brought here, not using the Force to clarify the memories, that was a mistake she wasn't about to repeat. It might have been easier if she was surrounded by ysalamiri, but it would have felt worse. She was cut off from the Force, just as effectively as if the deed had been done by force, and it was more forceful because it was by her own decision.

Meditation was actually not a Force power, but a focusing tool, and so she was allowed to use it, so long as she didn't try to touch the Force. She supposed that it would have been possible if she had wanted to succumb to the dark side, but it wasn't what she wanted. So she used meditation to focus herself, allowing the memories to drift alone in her mind while she examined them, trying to find more about them. She had almost given up when she'd thought she was going crazy, but she had woken with a renewed sense of determination. It was odd, but she didn't question it, she was going to use it to her best advantage.

First was the waking, she pieced it together slowly. The image of Grievous standing over her with a bucket in hand came first. She hadn't noticed the bucket before. He'd thrown water on her to wake her. The physical sensations of shock were there, but distant. The memory couldn't hurt her. He had come to her, picked her up, and carried her out of the ship. The ship was old, one of the kinds that made her feel sad for some reason; perhaps she had taken a similar transport when she'd gone to Coruscant.

The fall down the stairs wasn't a particularly pleasant thought either, but it had afforded her with a view of her surroundings; a snapshot she could now examine. She took the moment, made it slow until it stopped. _Anywhere, _she thought, _this could be anywhere industrialized._ The details of the memory didn't help her at all; it was as familiar as Coruscant, and as alien. There was nothing that would indicate a particular planet. The designation over the door of the landing bay was even just like those that Coruscant would have used. The memory, sharp and clear, suddenly became her consuming focus. The designation _was_ Coruscanti, because no other planet that she knew of had that many docking bays, even Denon, the planet with the next largest population to Coruscant, at least that she'd been to, only had designations half the length to Coruscant's.

She smiled, and she knew it wasn't a pretty smile, but this was war, and she was on her home turf. The fact that it was the Sith Lord's home turf as well, that gave her pause, but not enough that she wasn't going to figure out how to get out of here. He was going to lose this battle.

* * *

Padmé walked into the Senate building, and was almost immediately assaulted by beings from the Naboo Senatorial staff, including a very enthusiastic Jar Jar Binks. The twins were only two weeks old, but it was imperative that she get back to work, with some of the things she'd seen being bandied about on the HoloNews worried her. If half of what she'd seen was true, the Republic was in worse trouble than she'd thought.

"Senator," Jar Jar said, beaming. He was so overcome with emotion at seeing her that he was unable to say more. She had contacted Captain Typho the night before, trying to figure out where she needed to be to do what she needed to do. Just showing up out of the blue was doable, but wouldn't accomplish anything for her. She needed information, and she needed her people prepped and ready to give it to her.

"Let's go to my office," she told him, and her staff swirled around them, dropping tidbits of information that she filed away, knowing she would get full reports about each item later.

They entered her inner sanctum; at least that was the way she thought of it. It was swept for bugs at least daily, and that was done again just before she had arrived. "Mesa so happy to see-in you," Jar Jar said, picking her up in a hug.

"It's good to see you as well, Jar Jar," she said as he put her down. She sat behind her desk, hoping that no one else would try doing anything like what Jar Jar had. They all wanted to touch her, make sure that she was really there, really well and back in their presence. She hated that she had to leave her twins so soon after their birth, but they were in good hands, her parents had helped with Ryoo and Pooja both, and Sola _did_ have the girls, and Anakin and Obi-Wan would be by as they could. She sighed, focusing on her duties here, putting her family firmly out of her surface thoughts. "Aryana, what were you saying about the newest bill before the Senate?" she asked, and continued to rapid-fire questions at her staff until they had nothing else to tell her.

* * *

Obi-Wan looked at what he'd made note of only a few weeks ago, and still found it completely unbelievable. "So tell me about the change of the Code," Anakin said from his comfortable slouch on the sofa in Obi-Wan's common room. "It's been so busy that we haven't gotten a chance to talk about it."

"Phanius, a Jedi Master, was responsible for it. He was Umbaran, and they are a rather long-lived species. They seem suited to being Sith, intrigue and secrets and misdirection being their main exports. Umbara is their home planet, inside the Ghost Nebula. Only those of the highest caste, the Rootai leave the planet. For one to be Rootai and Force-sensitive wouldn't be that unusual; but to give that up and become a Jedi is a bit unusual."

"What if he were Sith first?"

Obi-Wan stroked his beard, thinking for a moment. "That seems a possibility, but I don't know for sure. The information condemning him as a Sith is rather sketchy. He lived with the Jedi for about a hundred years before making the claims that the old code was outdated, and needed to be dropped from the curriculum taught to new Jedi and Initiates. At that time, adults were still taken as Jedi if they proved adept enough."

"That was about 2500 years ago?"

"Yes. He did other things, as well, but nothing so outright. He also spent time teaching about the Potentium. He even came up with the name for it."

"What the kriff is the Potentium?"

"It's a viewpoint of the Force, and a dangerous one. It's banned teaching, and I can see the reason for it," Obi-Wan said, and then he sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs. "It teaches that the Force has no inherent good or bad—that there is no 'light side' or 'dark side' and that it is only intent that makes actions good or evil."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Initially, no, but it leads to Jedi only having their moral compass to decide whether they do something, and that can all too easily be guided in the wrong direction by someone more knowledgeable, more charismatic, more powerful."

Sudden understanding flashed in Anakin's eyes. "That's what happened, isn't it?"

"Yes, about 2000 years ago, something called the Fourth Great Schism happened," he paused in his telling, letting the words sink into Anakin's psyche. "Phanius left the Order. He became the first of the Lost Twenty, and when he left, he took fifty Jedi Knights with him, fifty that followed his teachings and the Potentium."

Anakin's eyes grew wide, "So many?"

"Yes, and then, he took them to a planet called Roon, and founded the New Sith Empire, and called himself Darth Ruin. There is little after that that I can find, except his death, which was recorded less than a hundred years later. Apparently he wasn't the best ruler for a Sith Empire. The New Sith Wars started from this Empire, about a thousand years after its founding."

"That's almost unbelievable. How many other Sith started as Jedi?"

"Unfortunately, most of them, or at least it starts with a Jedi-turned-Sith most of the time. It's almost impossible to weed out those who would be turned by thoughts of power for its own sake from those who won't."

Anakin looked down. "We need to change a lot of things about the Order if it is to survive."


	22. Finding two Padawans

**AN: Sorry to take so long to get this up. Thanks everyone for your patience, and help!**

* * *

Xanfer was finally getting somewhere with his meditation—and he had Anakin Skywalker to thank for it. Anakin had taught Xanfer a new type of meditation, something he called Living Force meditation. It was more like opening a door inside himself that he hadn't known existed prior to the moment that the door actually opened. The Living Force was not so easily tainted by the dark side, not so easily manipulated into muddied confusion. But Seranth didn't know how to use it.

It wasn't that she couldn't connect into it; she could, just as Anakin had taught even him to do. But she had cut herself off from the Force. He could sense her; she was somewhere on Coruscant, at least that was what he and Anakin had decided, but since their bond was forged exclusively within the Unifying Force, Anakin was unable to help him further pinpoint her location since she'd cut herself off so totally. It was immensely frustrating to both of them.

What they could do, and the list of things rather amazed him, was bolster her spirit. She was in fairly good shape otherwise, even though the presence of the dark side was all around her. If she had needed healing or some other physical treatment, Anakin had told him it would have been possible to a limited degree, despite the distance and inability to locate her. After sensing the changes in her after one attempt to help her defend herself from the darkness that was trying to worm its way inside her soul, he didn't doubt that Anakin knew what he was talking about.

He worked to set his mind into the proper outlook for the Living Force. "This is difficult," he said to Anakin, who was pacing impatiently. He'd been trying to fully embrace the Living Force for over an hour

"You are making it difficult," Anakin insisted, "It will be better once you actually embrace the _now_, and let the future take care of itself."

"Who are you and what have you done with my Padawan?" Obi-Wan asked in jest from the side of the fountain.

"Obi-Wan," he said cocking his head to the side, as though he were listening to something only he could hear. "Close your eyes, Obi-Wan," he said, and the steel in his tone was unusual in its intensity, even for Anakin.

Surprisingly, Obi-Wan did so, with a look of curiosity on his face. Anakin looked like he was concentrating on something. It was an interesting dynamic between the two of them, somewhere between strange and unbelievable. "What do you see?" Anakin asked finally.

It was an exercise of the most basic type, useful for ensuring that very young Padawans were concentrating on their immediate environments rather than daydreaming. Obi-Wan sighed, then said, "Small transport ship with one deep scratch in right flank, several dents on underside of cockpit. Phindian pilot with flight cap, goggles, and dirty fingernails. Twelve cargo boxes ready to be loaded, one flight bag, one medpac..."

"The hanger," Anakin's voice insisted, though right then, Xanfer wasn't sure it was really Anakin who was the one doing the asking, but the image he was using wasn't their current surroundings.

Another sigh from Obi-Wan, then, "Old stone overhang with three docking bays. Cracks running vertically down the stone, a green vine trying to grow three meters down from the ceiling on the left, with one purple flower six meters down, and another nearly at the floor."

"Very good," Anakin said, and Obi-Wan opened his eyes. "Do you remember what you received that day?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and nodded. "How," he started, then shook his head, and looked at Anakin. Anakin closed the distance between the two of them.

"One does not question the ways of the Force, Obi-Wan," he said, pressing some small object into his palm. "You should go upstairs, Master. You look tired."

The sudden change in Anakin's demeanor seemed to shock Obi-Wan as much as it did him. He waited until Obi-Wan did as Anakin suggested, then asked, "What was that all about?"

He grinned. "I have to remind Obi-Wan of someone, so that when he finally figures out how to touch the Living Force, he won't keel over from the shock. The Living Force does allow some to retain their identity, even in death."

"Really?"

Anakin nodded. "But that is a discussion for another day. Today, we are attempting to find another Living Force Center we can use to attempt to triangulate Seranth's location."

"Why am I helping you with this?" he asked, having not gotten a straight answer out of Anakin yet.

"Because you can. And I need to give you something to do so that you don't go stir crazy on me," he said, and Anakin's smile seemed genuine. He seemed much more at ease when he was communing with the Living Force than at any other time. It was as though he felt uncomfortable to be out of touch with the Living Force. Perhaps that was what he meant, about it being a completely different way of viewing the world.

He finally was able to connect enough to accomplish the task Anakin had set for them, and it didn't take him long to find their next destination, and it shouldn't have surprised him. "The park, the big one, near the University."

"The Skydome Botanical Gardens?" Anakin asked, wrinkling his brow. He shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it, but you are right, that should be a good place. It may be too close to be helpful, though. I was also thinking about the Manarai Mountains, but that may be too far away to go today. And the Global Center, perhaps."

"That's half-way across the planet!"

Anakin raised his eyebrow. "Distance means little to the Living Force."

"Which is why we are having to do this in the first place," he groaned, resigned. "Alright."

Anakin grinned. "Let's go see if your suggestion helps us. If not we can try the Manarai Mountains tomorrow, and the Global Center, if we get an early enough start."

* * *

Palpatine had assigned his two strays to look after a small job for him, and how they performed, for it really didn't matter whether or not they succeeded, would tell him much about their character, and their intelligence.

He had asked them to find the place where Anakin had hidden his spawn. Not that he didn't know already. It was hidden comfortably away in a house that Amidala had purchased recently, whether it be male or female. The child was so young that it didn't matter.

She hadn't announced that her family was staying with her, having escaped the tragedy of Naboo, and so the addition to her family hadn't been mentioned either. He sighed contentedly, debating whether he should attempt to dispose of Amidala or Skywalker first.

Both strategies had good and bad points. It would be easier to dispose of Amidala, since she was not Force-sensitive, but if he did not dispose of Skywalker first, he would almost definitely interfere. Disposing of Skywalker would likely prove problematic; it would probably be easier to take care of him first.

But how to do so while the Council would be unwilling to send him off-planet, having him newly appointed as his representative to the Council? And for that matter, why was he neglecting his duty as his representative on the Council? He would have to correct that oversight soon.

* * *

Obi-Wan entered his quarters. He still had a death grip on whatever Anakin had given to him, and now, slowly, in the dim lights from the windows since he hadn't bothered to turn more on, he opened his hand. The object was, as he had suspected it would be, a small round rock. Shiny from years of being rounded in a river, and black, though when it was held to light, he was sure it would have dark red streaks through it. This was one of his most precious possessions in the Galaxy, though few would know it. He didn't know how Anakin had gotten hold of it, but he had, and since he had, he had returned it to Obi-Wan, bringing to the forefront of his memories the day, the moment in which his life had changed.

He contemplated the stone as he sat in his common room, _I didn't realize how much my life changed at that moment. Thirteen, so young and yet, on the knife's edge of being mature, an adult. How much younger I thought Anakin was, than I thought myself to be that day._

He laughed then, deciding that Qui-Gon had probably told Anakin where to find it, wherever it had disappeared to when Obi-Wan had lost track of it, long before Qui-Gon had died. For all he knew, it had been hidden away in their quarters for years, his eyes glossing over its presence, especially since he had actively avoided thinking about anything connected to his master for years after Qui-Gon's death.

"I'm sorry, Master. I'm sorry it took so long for me to understand what you tried to teach me," he said, though he didn't really expect a response

"_Obi-Wan,"_ he heard his Master's voice, but the tone was gentle, something he'd rarely heard from Qui-Gon. A tear escaped his control. _"There is no shame in feeling, my Padawan."_

"I have missed you, Master," he said shaky as he sat down, not knowing what was the proper thing to do when one met their dead master.

"_I have seen that, by your actions. You never really let yourself have time to grieve, my Padawan. You weren't ready for Anakin when you took his training on; I know that, but you were the only one who could possibly have taken on his training and done a good job with him. He is an excellent Jedi, and will only continue to improve in the coming years. All that remains is for him to fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One, but that will come in its own time. Right now, there are more pressing matters."_

"More pressing than the destruction of the Sith?" Obi-Wan asked, almost horrified.

"_Padawan, Padawan, all things in their time. The destruction of the Sith is only one aspect of bringing balance to the Force. Balance is also between those that use the Unifying Force and those that use the Living Force. The Jedi Order has become severely unbalanced in that regard as well, though there have always been a few every generation who use and are more comfortable with the Living Force, and discover it on their own. Anakin is born of the Living Force, and I don't think it's actually possible for him to see the Force in the manner of users of the Unifying Force."_

"What would you have me do?"

"_There are two boys in the training salle, in a lightsaber duel. Go watch them. They are both initiates, both strong in the Living Force."_

"Why?"

"_It's time for you to take a Padawan again. Anakin as well. These boys are both twelve, but they are good boys, so unlike another pair I know."_

Obi-Wan ignored the jibe directed at him. "If they are good, then why haven't they been chosen before now?"

"_They were waiting for you and Anakin. No one's really looked at them, with the war and everything. It hasn't been too big of an issue, but now they are nearing a time when, if things were normal, they would be considered for placement in one of the Corps."_

* * *

Padmé had much to take care of, with her return to the Senate, even though she had cut her maternity leave short, and she had taken to staying up late at night catching up on her work, much to the consternation of her parents and her sister. The twins didn't seem to mind, because it meant she was normally still up when they woke for their two o'clock feeding.

"Luke, hush baby," she said to him as she was feeding Leia, letting him suck on her finger until she could give him her full attention.

"Are you still up?" she turned and looked to see her husband standing in the nursery doorway.

"Did Sola talk to you?" she asked quietly.

He smiled at her. "No, I don't need someone else to tell me that you're pushing yourself harder than you should."

"Are you going to tell me that I shouldn't be back to work yet?"

"No," he said, taking Leia from her, "I know it won't do any good. I do wish you would take it easy for a little while longer, though. You may not see that it's draining you faster than it usually would. Your body hasn't recovered completely."

"I have too much to do to take time for myself," she said as she picked Luke up.

"Then you definitely don't have time to be sick. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, if nothing else." She sighed, but didn't say anything else. "I don't like seeing you wearing yourself so thin," he said plaintively.

"I'll see what I can do," she agreed after a few moments of thought. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep. I'm doing something tomorrow, and I…"

"What?" she asked as he paused, sensing his distress.

"I'm scared," he admitted to her, and she knew he wouldn't, even now, have let his guard down that much with anyone else.

"What of?"

"I don't know if I can actually do this."

"What is going on?"

"One of the Padawans I know has been missing for a while. The Council doesn't have the resources to devote to searching for her, but I think somehow she's ended up on Coruscant."

"Where was did she go missing?"

"Boz Pity."

"That's on the Outer Rim," she said with a frown.

"I know. That means she was brought to Coruscant with a purpose, since I very much doubt she got here under her own power."

"What purpose?"

"We determined some time ago that the Sith Lord was based on Coruscant. That is the most likely reason."

Her breath caught as she understood the meaning of what he was saying. "This is dangerous?"

"More to her than to us, but yes, it's dangerous."

She didn't say much to that. She didn't like him being in danger, and in this particular case it seemed he was putting himself into danger, but it was probably because no one else could do what he was going in to do. That was often the case. It made it nearly impossible for her to ask him to not do something dangerous.

Again she had a battle inside her heart, the one where part of her wanted Anakin to be hers alone, and the other part of her knew that he belonged, first and always, to the galaxy at large, and that she was only borrowing him, momentarily, from the greater task that had been set before him, as a part of his destiny.

"Sometimes I wish you weren't so…" she said, but didn't know quite what to say. She bit her lip as she thought about it, transferring Luke to her shoulder to burp him.

He smiled at her, the smile that he saved just for her. "So what? So far outside the experience of the common person that my birth was prophesized four thousand years ago?"

"Perhaps, but I don't think I would have settled for someone who was less than amazing in all ways," she said as Luke burped.

"Even if I can't follow a discussion on politics for more than two seconds?"

"I said you were amazing, not perfect. You do have your flaws, but it makes it easier to relax around you, I think, knowing that I actually can't talk about work with you, because it will just confuse you."

"So even my flaws have their benefits?"

"Some of them, anyway," she said, and he yawned, and she looked at Leia, who, having been fed and burped, had drifted off to sleep again. "Why don't you put her down?"

He looked at Leia, and smiled. "These two don't do much yet, do they?"

"No, thankfully. They are quite content to putting all their efforts into growing."

He didn't respond, being fully occupied with trying to lay down their younger child without waking her.

"I would have thought you were adept at that already, with Obi-Wan's talk of you being in the crèche all the time."

He tucked her in, and whispered, "She didn't wake up, did she?"

"No, she didn't."

"Well, there's your answer. I doubt another new father would do half as well."

She laid Luke down, and he reached out his hand, which Anakin caught with one of his fingers. "He's so much more inquisitive than Leia," she commented.

"Maybe he just can't stand to be left out of anything. I bet he's going to be into everything before long."

"Night, Luke," she said, kissing the baby on the forehead, and tucking him in as well.

Anakin disengaged his finger from his son's tiny hand. "Sleep, baby," he said, kissing Luke, and then, for good measure, Leia, good night.

"They are such a blessing," Padmé said.

"Yes, now both of us have early mornings."

"I wanted to finish reading…"

"No."

She sighed, looking into his concerned eyes, "Alright, I guess I can finish in the morning before I go into Senate."

He followed her into her bedroom, their bedroom, and helped her out of the Senatorial gown she was still wearing, and then he let her figure out what nightgown she wanted to wear while he got into his sleep pants.

"You haven't slept here since we got back to Coruscant," she commented.

"I know. I've been busy, and so have you, and I know you are still healing," he started.

"I've missed having you here."

"I've missed being here, but it's becoming so complicated, just trying to get everything set so that I don't have to hide us anymore."

She snuggled into his body, reveling in the sensation. "I know. I don't know what we're going to do when the twins get older, when they won't be able to understand the politics of everything."

He grew quiet for a moment, and she thought he might have fallen asleep, but he said. "That's what I'm doing now, with the Jedi Council, isn't it? Politics," he said, nearly spitting the word out.

She giggled at him, "It seems that way. You do have less intrigue and subterfuge to deal with than I do, but you are still dealing with the Chancellor."

He sighed. "Sleep," he pleaded, and she picked up his hand, kissing the palm in acquiescence. His hand dropped limply onto the bed, and it was only a span of a few breaths until she heard his breathing deepen into sleep.

That was the lullaby she fell asleep to the easiest, and so, only a few moments after he fell asleep, she was drifting off herself.

* * *

There were moments now Seranth was certain she had lost all of her mental faculties. There was a brush, a light tap, against something that felt like a door in her mind. Whoever was knocking was doing so politely, simply, not wanting to disturb her, perhaps. The only certainty she had about that particular door was that if it opened, it would change her irrevocably. She wasn't entirely sure that she was ready for that. Sometimes it was as though she could see it clearly, the door, as though it was as real as anything. There was a field beyond it, sometimes, and birds, and many wonderful and pleasant things.

The enticing nature of the door had her on her guard. She worried about it being a trick of the dark side forces that continued to circle her, looking for a chink in her armor. There were fewer chinks now than there were before she had sensed the door. Her awareness of it had grown slowly, but she could have said the day it appeared. It was the day she'd been stronger, ready to fight Darth Sidious with all of her might, all of her faculties, all of her being. There were feelings came from that door, feelings that she knew weren't her own, but these made it quite tempting to open. Love, strong and steadfast, from at least two sources came through to her. That had been what had begun to strengthen her the most. There were other emotions twined into the love as well, determination, and other things she couldn't always identify. Some of them she hadn't really wanted to.

What she'd sensed once she'd picked apart the different threads of emotions comforted her. There were small bits of darkness imbedded in the light emotions, but they were support, something almost necessary for the proper sensation of the light side emotions. Once she had made that determination, it was almost as though she heard a voice whispering to her. _Denying emotion is a fool's errand. Light cannot exist without dark. Everyone has the capacity for both dark and light in equal measure. A family is not who shares your blood, but who has a place in your heart. It is our choices that make us who we are, not the circumstance into which we are placed._

_Peace is my center even through emotion._

_Through my knowledge I recognize my ignorance._

_My serenity is the guide for my passion._

_Harmony is my voice even in chaos._

_The Force is my comfort even in death._

* * *

Leinea Shellan looked over at her partner, Jander Xantel. She'd been paired with him, off and on throughout the Clone Wars, and found him to be able to reliably carry out orders, but he was little able to strategize on his own. He was slicing into government records to see if Skywalker owned any properties. Lord Sidious had not given them any information. Anakin Skywalker has a child, find the child for me. Those were his instructions.

Those were also his only instructions, and he'd given no further information. "There's nothing," Jander told her.

"Not unexpected," she said with a sigh. She brought up the HoloNet, and found the least reputable feed she could.

"What's that?"

"Trash."

"Why are we looking at this?"

"Because, if we can find something in here about our friend Skywalker, perhaps it is because it is true. No reputable feed would publish relationship details on a Jedi; they'd be hunted down and shut down, but no one believes trash feeds anyway, precisely because they're trash. Even if they publish true stories about a Jedi breaking his vows…" she trailed off as a picture of their quarry came up with a young beautiful senator.

"Well, well, well," Jander said from just behind her. "There is a Senator I wouldn't mind getting my hands on."

She looked through the article, but not finding it to be what she expected. "I don't think it's this Senator Elena from Kelanaker."

"Is that even a planet?"

She shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Don't suppose so," he said, looking over the article, picking out the pertinent information to start a search.

She looked through more of the trash while he searched for the woman.

"Here's a story about him having dinner with a Senator Amidala of Naboo."

"Why would they care about him having dinner with someone?"

"There are pictures with this one, too."

He glanced over, and then did a full body turn, and Leinea could see why. Amidala was as beautiful as she was powerful. Even on the Outer Rim her compassion was spoken of with regard, and most of the people there would have taken her over Count Dooku and the CIS any day. "I've heard of her."

"So have I," he said, and the way that he was looking at the image made her think of slobbering drooling canids.

"Well, did you find anything out about Senator Elena?"

"What?" he asked, looking at her finally, and then said, "Oh," and turned back to his comm station.

She resumed her search, but the idea that they were reporting on him having dinner with a Senator, and no real speculation as to why nagged at the back of her mind.

* * *

Anakin walked into his Master's quarters with Xanfer, pleased with the day's excursions to the mountains and to the Skydome, and excited for what they would likely be able to accomplish the next day. They had been able to narrow down the area Seranth was most likely to be in to a few kilometers square. It would be fairly easy to search, but they both had felt it would be more prudent to wait for daylight, when the Sith, whomever that was, would be less likely to be with her. Not that they had yet felt that she'd been in his immediate vicinity, but it wouldn't do to attempt to rescue her only to find her dead because they came at a time when Darth Sidious was around to kill her.

Right now, though, he was slightly irritated at the delay, and before he looked around even, Obi-Wan's name was halfway out of his mouth, but only halfway. He croaked as he was confronted by the sight of two young boys sitting on Obi-Wan's couch in his common room.

Wide-eyed, they stared at him and Xanfer. They must have been something of a sight, and a glance through the open 'fresher door to the mirror there confirmed the fact. He and Xanfer had sort of been playing more roughly than was proper, but it had been good for both of them. Obi-Wan walked into the room from the kitchen, assessed Anakin's condition with a quick glance, and said, "You should get cleaned up, then we can talk," but he said it pleasantly.

That, of course, made Anakin immediately suspicious. "Is there a reason to be talking?"

"Well, you are probably going to tell me about your day, then I had thought to accept the invitation to dinner that Senator Amidala left for us earlier today, and perhaps one or both of us will have reason to go before the rest of the Council. The day is young yet."

"I will see you at breakfast," Xanfer said, and he nodded, and the other Knight left, probably going straight to his quarters to get cleaned up.

Obi-Wan looked expectantly at Anakin. Anakin, for his part, groaned, and turned toward his room, knowing he would only get a full explanation after he was clean and his robes were changed. "Ten minutes, old man."

"Very well, Anakin. I shall see if I can entertain our young guests for that long."

He growled, not liking the 'young guests' part, and having a good notion to blame a particular Force Ghost for them. He went into his room, which, to all appearances, wouldn't be his for much longer, and got a change of clothes, stalking to the 'fresher and made himself presentable in the quickest fashion possible. He let his irritation, both at having to wait a day to find his friend, and at Obi-Wan and especially Qui-Gon, dissolve into the Force. Other emotions settled into appropriate levels as well, far below his normally explosive expressions of emotion. He was actually starting to level out emotionally far more quickly than he would have believed—thanks to two precious little bundles under the care of the Naberrie Clan, despite the fact that they were most definitely _his._

He stepped out into a scene that seemed utterly surreal to him. Obi-Wan, to all appearances was interviewing two boys, probably with the thought of taking one of them on as his Padawan. What was worse, he would likely take the other one. He could feel it in his bones. _Such an odd expression, that,_ he thought as he took a cup of tea from Obi-Wan in silence. He sat down next to his former Master, sipping his tea and watching the two boys quietly through the Living Force and simply observing them through his own eyes. He was somewhat familiar with them both, but it had been some time since he'd seen them on a regular basis, and while he'd seen one of them of late, he didn't remember the other's name right off.

"Well, now that we've gotten to know each other a bit, I suppose the hard questions can begin," Obi-Wan said, and the boys looked at each other with nervous trepidation.

"The hard questions?" the braver of the two asked. This was the boy with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose, and brown hair that had red and blonde highlights in the sunlight streaming in from the windows as the sun was setting.

"Well, not too hard, but harder to answer, maybe. Questions with no set correct answer," he explained further.

"We can answer your questions, Master Kenobi," the other boy said. Perhaps it was simply that the first was more impulsive. This boy's eyes were his most striking feature, a deep blue-green that would change according to his mood.

"Perhaps you could introduce yourselves to Anakin before we begin the hard questions," Obi-Wan said, settling back.

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, wondering what he was thinking, but he was shielding a bit more than he usually did. "I am Arien Ketor," said the freckled one; his brown eyes a shade of topaz, tawny rather than the chocolate brown Padmé's were. He nodded acceptance of the boy's name.

"I am Kesteral Ephan," the boy with the ocean eyes said. His hair was blonde, in the way Anakin's had been, and a hint of the promise of darker hair could be seen in the strands that lay on his shoulders. Anakin kept silent, evaluating him and their responses to his lack of one. It was one of the amusements that kept him from running screaming from the Council Chambers.

They looked at each other, and as he noticed it, he realized it hadn't been the first time. They were in tune with each other. That was a good thing, if these two were to be Padawaned to one of the most famous and dedicated duo in the Order's recent history. Perhaps they would be able to go on missions together, much as he had done with Siri and Ferus with his master when they were younger, before the war, before many things that had happened in the last three years.

But there were many things that went on in his life that would make having a Padawan difficult. _Why now? Why not in a few years when everything is settled?_

He hadn't expected an answer to his musings, but he got one, anyway. A blue form shimmered into being behind the two boys, crouched down so that only his head was visible. _"Well, Anakin, sometimes you just take what you can get. These boys won't be here 'when everything is settled,' so take your pick. You can have a Padawan already in tune with the Living Force, who's more or less been put before you, ready to go, or you can wait and hope for someone who is well suited to your talents when you are 'ready' to teach them."_

_But what about Padmé?_ his thought came nearly immediately.

"_If you do not feel you can trust every aspect of your life to a Padawan, you shouldn't take one on. But give them a chance. They're both almost as stubborn as you and Obi-Wan,"_ Qui-Gon said, and then his Ghost shimmered again and disappeared.


	23. Finding one Padawan

**AN:So only one month for this chapter instead of three or four for the last one. Finished this morning, heavy editing, light editing, work, more light editing, post...Share the love.**

general-joseph-dickson:**of course he is. **steffles24:**Glad that you enjoyed the code. It took like three months to come up with, and consultation with about half a dozen people. **JediAngel001:** Sorry I took so long. The code was the major trip up. I think I'm good now. **pronker:**Yes, the code is new. Will be dealing more with that in future chapters. **Siriusly Loopy:**Well, I didn't really like Mustafar, either. There are so many little different things that could have happened at so many points. Anakin just showing Obi-Wan a insy bit more trust at any number of points, and the universe would have never seen Vader. **Alex McPherson:**Glad you like it. Here's another layer to the cake. **Charlie Hayden:** *Hugs* Ahsoka is no longer with Anakin for whatever reason she was no longer with him in the movie. Haven't researched her demise very extensively as of yet. **Darth KenObi-Wan:**Yes, Mini Jedi. They get to ask uncomfortable questions....**

* * *

Anakin was uncomfortable, and he had no one but himself to blame for the situation. He didn't think through answers to questions. "Shall we go to dinner with Senator Amidala," had garnered an immediately regretted, "Yes," because they had tagalongs.

Obi-Wan had smiled at him with the glimmer in his eyes that meant he knew exactly how uncomfortable this would make him, and how much he would enjoy watching Anakin squirm. Well, perhaps it wasn't that Obi-Wan wanted to watch him squirm, but it was definitely in the mix of things. There was a lesson, which was probably to think before he spoke.

Padmé was asking the boys many questions about their training, and they were answering, mindful of their potential Masters. He watched the boys, his mind on the idea that Qui-Gon had put forth—if he couldn't trust his life to a Padawan, then they didn't need to be paired.

Dinner had been pleasant enough; he'd had questions about how he was adjusting to his appointment to the Council to answer, but Darred and Sola had both also been interested in the young Padawans. He, after all, was by on a regular basis. After Darred and Sola had left the house to check on their parents and daughters, a wail broke the silence, a lull in the conversation, and he had to school himself carefully against going to see what his son needed. "If you'll excuse me," Padmé said, heading off to do what his body was telling him he should be doing.

"Well," Obi-Wan said, stroking his beard. "This evening has been pleasant. What do you think, young Kesteral?"

"The Naberries are very nice," he said. "Senator Amidala and her sister don't seem a lot alike," he added as Obi-Wan waited for him to continue.

"Very well," he said. "Do you think that they are close?"

His brow creased as he thought about it, frowning. "Yes. Their differences are an asset to their relationship, rather than a detraction."

"Alright, and where does Darred fit into the scheme of things?"

"I'm not sure," Kesteral answered after thinking about it for a few minutes. "I think he might be Senator Amidala's husband."

"Arien?"

"He's Sola's husband," Arien told him with certainty.

"Your evidence of this?"

"When Mr. and Mrs. Naberrie went out with Ryoo and Pooja, they called Darred 'Daddy,' but they called Senator Amidala 'Aunt Padmé.'"

"Very observant of you."

"Thank you, Master," he said, blushing a little.

Padmé came back then, carrying Luke. He was fussing, the way he would when he wanted Anakin to hold him. She smiled. "Jedi Skywalker, would you mind holding Luke? You're so good with him, and he does like you."

"Of course, Senator," he said and he reached for the young boy. Luke cooed and reached for him.

"Has he been tested for Force-sensitivity?" Arien asked.

"No, but I don't think it matters, I wouldn't give him up," she said, kissing the top of his head. "I'd better get Leia before she realizes she's alone."

Anakin nodded, and she left again. "May I hold him, Master Skywalker?" Arien asked as he turned back toward the table.

"Certainly," he agreed, "If Luke doesn't seem to mind."

The infant was transferred fairly easily, and he didn't seem to mind this additional person—he rarely protested being handled by strangers. Leia, on the other hand, would protest when Sola took care of her. She didn't seem to mind her grandparents, and was tolerant of Ryoo, but not Pooja.

It was at that point that Padmé came down the stairs with Leia in her arms. He could sense that the twins weren't hungry; rather they simply didn't want to miss the excitement that was going on around them. It was the first time they had done such a thing, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. "You could have told me you didn't want to hold him," Padmé chided as she saw that Arien was holding their son.

"Arien asked if he could hold Luke," he protested. "Luke doesn't seem to mind it."

"Luke doesn't seem to mind anyone holding him," she commented, as Leia settled into her arms, content that she was at least not missing out on whatever her brother was doing. They both seemed sensitive to being apart. He hoped that they would grow to be more tolerant of it, though he understood; he didn't like being separated from them any more than they did from each other. It seemed a bit strange to him that he considered the feelings of infants yet to mark their third week out of the womb, but he did not question the rightness of it.

"May I hold Leia?" Kesteral asked.

Padmé considered the infant in question for a moment. "You may try. She tends to be much less tolerant to being handled than her brother is."

"I understand," he said, and she carefully laid the infant in his arms. Leia immediately squirmed in discomfort as she found that she was not in her mother's arms. He made soothing noises, and she calmed, not quickly, but neither did she get past whimpering.

"Well, you seem to please the little Princess," Anakin commented wryly, and Kesteral looked up at him.

"She's not that hard to handle," he said. "She's very fussy about her positioning, though."

"So she is," Anakin said back to him. He started to relax as his children got to know these two boys; they would be an integral part of his and Obi-Wan's life, if they chose to take them on as their Padawans.

He watched his master relaxing as well, contemplating these two as they dealt with two overly curious younglings. "He smiled at me," Arien said, looking up at Padmé.

She smiled back. "He does that a lot. He's much like his father in that regard."

"Really?" Arien asked, "Who is his father?"

* * *

Palpatine pressed the button that would summon his soon-to-be next apprentice. "Skywalker."

"Ah, Anakin, I have not heard from you in several days, and I was wondering how you were adjusting."

"Oh, I, ah, fine, I suppose. The Council has me running ragged, and on top of that I'm doing a special project for Obi-Wan and other things. I've been busier the last couple of days than I've ever been in my life."

"Well, that's good. Being busy is preferable to being idle. Do you have time to come see me tomorrow?"

"I, ah, maybe? After the Council meeting in the afternoon?"

"That would be fine. I'll be expecting you."

"Yes, that would be fine," he replied, and shut the com off. He touched Anakin's Force presence, and found that he was with his wife. That perhaps explained the distracted nature of his words. He was considering what he could do to bring Anakin to his side, and the ruminations troubled him, because he was seeing less and less opportunity to wedge himself into Anakin's life.

* * *

Xanfer walked with Anakin through this desolate neighborhood that they had determined was most likely the place Seranth was. The place stank not only physically, but it reeked of the dark side as well. They had stepped across some invisible line that had delineated this neighborhood from the surrounding one, and both of them had nearly lost their breakfasts. It had been worse for Anakin, for whatever reason. Perhaps it was being more closely tied to the Force, perhaps something else. Anakin had chosen not to speak of it, and simply going on with their mission, finding Seranth.

He could feel her here, but she had shut down so tightly that even tugging on their bond hadn't gotten him much of anything, just a sort of a vague impression of direction, which was better than he had been doing. She was still so closed down that he couldn't even tell if she was actually feeling it. Frustration welled up inside him. _Where the kriff are you, Sera?_

He felt a whisper touch brush against him; it was her. She didn't even acknowledge his presence. It got him a more precise direction, though. "This way," he said, and Anakin nodded acknowledgement. They were close, but it was like the crècheling's game of here and there, where one was blindfolded and they had to find and tag another, and they would find out which was closer by calling out 'here' and 'there,' and the others would answer.

_There?_ he thought as he felt out toward his Padawan. They were close now.

_Here,_ he got back faintly, and he moved closer to her, paying attention to the Force, letting Anakin's guidance help him avoid things like buildings.

_Here?_

_Here,_ she told him, and it was more insistent this time.

The tugging stopped suddenly. "I think we're here."

"Well," Anakin said, "So where is she?"

He considered, since she wasn't _there_, and yet she was. "Down," he decided.

Anakin nodded. "Let's see if we can find a lift." He looked around, trying to decide what exactly the purpose of the building they were in was, or rather, used to be, since it seemed abandoned. "Here," he called out, and Xanfer broke into a light jog, abandoning his ruminations.

* * *

After researching the subject for a good deal of the night, Leinea Shellan was disappointed that they hadn't found anything. Senator Elana had been a bust, and Senator Amidala as well. They'd investigated dozens more as well, and none of them had homes that would accommodate a child for any length of time, at least, not as far as she could tell. There was something nagging at her, a feeling that she'd missed something. She couldn't put her finger on it, though, and so, a few hours after dawn, she had called a halt to their research so that they could both get some sleep.

"Who is his kriffing female?" Jander asked her.

"Lord Sidious probably knows, but he expects us to find out on our own. This is a test."

Jander rolled his eyes as he dropped his large frame to the cot on his side of the tiny one-room apartment that they were renting while they were here. She lay down as well, and rolled onto her side so she could see him. "I don't like this blinking test."

"I don't like it either, but the way Lord Tyranus talked it was this or death, from the moment Lord Sidious contacted us."

He sighed. He wasn't as quick to catch onto the political eccentricities of interacting with other people as she was, and it bothered him sometimes. "I'm going to sleep."

She nodded, and closed her eyes, and they both drifted off to a restless sleep, made more so by the many hours they had both been up in the last week.

* * *

Seranth was meditating. There wasn't that much she could do in her cell. It was, so far as she could tell, three meters exactly square, and there was one door, and one hole in the floor, and the stack of trays that simply told her how many times she had been fed since she had gotten here. Her captors didn't seem at all interested in collecting them. So, she stacked them neatly by the door, and occasionally counted them. There were 31 now. She had folded her blankets into a small rectangle as padding for her knees as she meditated, and she tried to block out the Force, because it was becoming more insistent, both from the darkness that surrounded her, and the door in her mind. The things that came through that door comforted her, but she still was afraid to open it; she didn't want to open herself up in this new way in such a dark place.

_Sera,_ she heard, low, almost too low to actually sense, her master's mental voice. He sounded annoyed, and it barely filtered down their connection through all of the darkness. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world right then, and she tried to bolster their bond.

_There?_ he asked, as though they were playing a child's game. That was when she felt comfortable in the idea that this was real, not some trick by the dark side.

_Here,_ she sent out as strongly as she could, while still blocking out the darkness. It wasn't much, but if he was close enough, he would hear her.

_Here?_ he asked, and the connection was stronger, shorter.

_Here,_ she told him, and he was closer, almost on top of her. Probably literally. She maintained her meditative pose. She hoped that she was not being closely watched. If she was, it would be through the ultraviolet or infrared spectrum, since there was no light. Perhaps they would get away with little fighting.

She felt something else then, it suddenly washing over her. Emotions of every description washed away the clinging darkness from her consciousness. She could almost see her Master, and could tell that he was searching a floor of a building for her, but she could also sense that he was not on the same floor as she. Tears slipped from her eyes unnoticed as she waited, attempting to be patient, hoping that he would find her. He was close, closer, closer, very close.

It took her a moment to realize that only the ceiling above her separated them. "Master," she cried out physically and mentally, looking up. There was an exchange. He was with someone; it was someone else's emotions that had been so strong that they pushed the darkness from her. The room was suddenly obscenely bright as a blue blade punctured the ceiling, and then her master's deep green blade. She cowered in the corner, knowing that there would be a section of the ceiling coming down, and she didn't want to be anywhere near it when that happened. It also helped her protect her overly sensitive eyes.

She heard the metallic clang as part of the ceiling came to the floor, revealing a hole large enough to put a being through. "Sera, where are you at?" her Master's annoyed voice came to her very sensitive ears. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Here, here, master," she said shakily, and walked over into the circle of light.


	24. A proposal considered

**Happy thanksgiving everyone! Glad you're taking time to read this chapter, and sorry that I've been neglectful of my stories. I do intend to finish them all, and the only reason that I abandoned _In Sidious's Shadow_ was to attack it from a different angle, and now I'm starting to think that I need to do something else first...we shall see. **

**It seems that I'm at the point of Seranth dropping out of the story, for the most part. I may have her back at a later point but I currently have no definite plans for her. Kesteral and Arien aren't in this chapter, but I will get back to them next chapter, promise. **

**I'm experimenting with who else I want to POV, but it may change chapter to chapter now. **

* * *

Anakin was proud to be sitting in the Council chambers today. His appointment still didn't sit well with him, but there were compensations. Like this. Seranth was mostly recovered from her ordeal. She'd been kidnapped just over a month previous, and had spent the majority of the time since she'd disappeared in the room they had found her in. The Council had launched an investigation, led by several Jedi Knights who were not well enough to go back onto the front lines, but too healthy to be kept by the healers, and were going stir-crazy. Two had lost limbs, and were adjusting to their prosthetics, and the other had been nearly blinded by a flash-bang going off centimeters from his face. The healers were hopeful that he would fully regain his sight, but there was nothing wrong with his mind, and he was actually pretty good at digging out the truth of a situation.

He had gone to see Palpatine, and he wasn't exactly comfortable with the outcome. A careful conversation that had deftly avoided saying much of anything had him even more convinced that there was a Sith Lord running amok in the highest levels of the Republic's government.

Yoda opened the proceedings for the day. "Come to order we will."

"Jedi Knight Xanfer and his Padawan, Seranth Devor," the page announced, and the two walked in.

"Glad this Council is that find your Padawan you did," Yoda said.

"It brings me joy to say that we are ready to continue with our work," Seranth said.

Anakin smiled encouragingly at her. They had been able to talk at length over the three days since they had been able to rescue her. Three days that he had studiously avoided his Master, needing time to absorb how fast his life was changing. Xanfer had, with a bit more tutoring, been able to access the Living Force consistently, and he had also begun to teach Seranth.

Master Yoda cleared his throat. "Told me you did that believe that the Will of the Force this was. To learn something of great importance, the reason that you were abducted was."

She took a deep breath. "Yes, Master. I believe that the Sith Lord resides on Coruscant."

"Know that we have, for some time, youngling. Saddens us this does."

"There is something else, Master, that my ordeal brought to my attention," she said, and when Master Yoda motioned for her to continue, she did, saying, "It is my opinion that the Force allowed this, or made this happen so that I could learn something of great importance that could only be revealed by intense trial, to someone on a desperate edge of despair. The Jedi Code must be changed, Masters," and she said the last with the earnestness that only a young being could muster.

"Change you ask, but to what?"

"The Code should be this:

_Peace is my center even through emotion._

_Through my knowledge I recognize my ignorance._

_My serenity is the guide for my passion._

_Harmony is my voice even in chaos._

_The Force is my comfort even in death."_

Yoda bowed his head, thinking about what she had said. "Consider this we will. Change the Code, already this has been proposed this week."

She bit her lip, suddenly nervous. "Yes, Masters," she said with a bow.

"Resume your duties, you may. An assignment you will be given when released by the Healers you are."

"Thank you, Masters," Xanfer said, and they left.

"An appropriate time to return to consideration of Jedi Skywalker's request that younglings be taught multiple versions of the Jedi Code, I believe it is."

"Yes, I would like to begin," Mace Windu said. "I found the book you suggested to be an appropriate one for the age group that it targets, young Initiates just ready to begin their training on the Code. This coupled with the current code, I think will give the younglings a deeper appreciation of the way of the Jedi. I will have to think on this new interpretation of the Code that was presented today," he said, and his pointed look in Anakin's direction meant that he thought Anakin had put Seranth up to it. He hadn't, actually, but when she had told him of the code she had 'heard' while she was in the prison, it had felt so _right_, that he had encouraged her to speak up before the Council.

"Speak would you like to, young Skywalker?"

"Yes," he said, "I have had the opportunity to speak with Padawan Devor over the last few days, and when she brought this to my attention, I encouraged her to speak before the Council. I feel that this is the right step for the Jedi Order to take, and hope that we can come to an agreement on this matter soon."

Yoda closed his eyes for a moment. "Object do you to the use of this book in Initiate training?" he asked when he opened his eyes. A murmuring of 'no's came from the Masters. "Consider we will Padawan Devor's request at a later date," he said, and they moved on to other business.

* * *

Padmé looked around the house, following the realtor. She wasn't paying much attention to what the woman was saying; enough to make nothing comments and small talk back, but she was thinking about her parents and her sister, the four children, and how they would feel about the home she was thinking about purchasing. It was large even by the standards of Coruscant, where twenty and thirty rooms wasn't anything out of the ordinary. "Well, what do you think?" the agent asked as they came to the end of one hall.

"It's beautiful. I'm not sure I could find a use for all of this space, though."

"There are twenty bedrooms, and you said you needed at least six, but this is the smallest one on our list that is at least that size. The downstairs area is set up for entertaining, and as a Senator, I'm sure you will appreciate that aspect of this house. The bedrooms are divided into four wings, so you could close off the wings you weren't using."

Padmé nodded, thinking. A number of things ran through her mind, primarily to have some guests, those whose homes on Naboo had been eliminated, destroyed, what have you. "I will consider it," she said.

"Well, I'll be happy to show you another house if something comes up that is smaller than this one. I will be in touch," the woman said as they exited the house and she locked it up.

"Thank you," Padmé said. "I'm sure you understand that this is a very big decision, and I will need some time to think about things."

"Of course," she said, smiling brightly. "You should never rush into buying a home, especially if you are moving several people into it. Would you like to arrange for another tour later with some of your family?"

"Perhaps," Padmé said, "But I want to think about this for a little while first. I don't want anyone else falling in love with a house that we aren't going to be living in."

"Perfectly understandable," the realtor agreed, and they parted ways then, and Padmé headed back to her family and her babies.

* * *

Leinea had finally gotten frustrated with searching for any hint as to what direction to look as far as Anakin Skywalker was concerned, so she tried trailing him, but somehow he'd shaken her tail. And he'd done it so many times that she had decided he was doing on purpose, but he didn't try to find out who she was, so he might not have been aware of her specifically. She was sure that if she were persistent, he would come find her, and that was something she didn't want.

So she was at something of a loss as to what to do, and trying to trail the many people he was in contact with on a regular basis was next to impossible, considering he was around a good number of Senators for legitimate reasons, and even the ones she might suspect of being involved in this little ordeal gave no evidence that they were so…involved. She tried to consider the problem from a logical standpoint, and decided that Skywalker would probably try to keep his relationship out of the media as much as possible, which meant that the people she should be looking at were the ones that he was associated with the least, at least in an unofficial capacity.

"Well, who do you think it is?" Jander asked her, looking over her shoulder at the list she'd compiled on her datapad.

"I don't have any idea, but I'm sure that it's someone we've already looked at."

"So, that's not a terribly long list. Why don't we check each of them out more thoroughly?"

"I suppose we're going to have to," she agreed with a sigh.

"Great. I'll start with Senator Amidala."

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't trust you to keep your mind on the job. I'll check her out, and I suppose I should do that first to keep the temptation down."

Jander didn't look happy at that. "Senator Elena?"

"Sure," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Great, I'll get started by checking out her apartment at 500 Republica."

"A number of the people on this list live there. Perhaps one of us could get a job there in the maintenance staff, if it's not totally run by droids."

"In a place like that?" he thought about it for a while. "They might have some human staff to interact with the residents, for the feel of it."

"That's a good possibility. Depends on their management style. We can look into it next," she said and they both set to work finding every available scrap of information that they could about the staff and management practices of the 500 Republica building.

* * *

Obi-Wan was helping Anakin set up the War Room so that it would display the images that Anakin would need; the galactic map, and various close-up views, as well as planets he was planning to discuss. "You haven't been meditating as much as you need," he observed.

"I have a lot going on, Master."

"Yes, I understand that, but meditation is important to your balance."

He smiled wryly at Obi-Wan. "And how am I going to balance the Force if I'm out of balance myself?"

"Yes, exactly."

"I think I'm closer than I've been in years. It will come in time."

"You still need to meditate, my brother."

"Qui-Gon bothers me when I meditate in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and that's the only decent place to meditate inside the Temple."

"What about outside the Temple?"

"It's not any better. I could go out to one of the parks, but it's crowded and I tend to be recognized unless I go to great lengths to hide who I am."

"Why does Qui-Gon bother you?"

"He wants me to tell the Council the whole truth of what's going on, to stop hiding my secrets."

"Well, I assume you feel you have good reasons for not doing so."

"I don't want them taking the twins. If they want to be Jedi, I don't mind, but I want my children to have a choice. I don't understand how parents in the Galaxy can give their children up to the order without second thought. I don't know how I would have taken it if that had been me, if I'd never known my mother. I wouldn't be me."

"I don't think that those who give up their children to the order do so without much thought. I've met several people who have made the decision, and none of them regret it. They believe that their children will be doing things only possible for a few, for the greater good of the galaxy, but they do put a good deal of thought into the decision before hand."

Anakin was quiet while he considered the idea for a time, flipping through the holographs as he thought out his presentation.

"Perhaps there is a way that you would be more comfortable with, such as Master Yoda seeing the twins."

He considered for a moment, and after weighing it in his mind, he conceded. "Perhaps that would be acceptable, but I would have to ask Padmé."

"I'm glad you can see that we are not all against you, Anakin."

He thought for a moment, trying to figure out where a statement like that would come from, and knew that he'd said things about the Council not recognizing his worth. It wasn't that the Council didn't realize how much power he had; it was that they didn't feel he had matured enough to take on the responsibility that being a Master would require of him. He'd swallowed the responsibilities of being on the Council, and found the medicine to be bitter and unpleasant, and he didn't want to have anything to do with it anymore. "I just needed to understand how little I really knew," he said as he set the final sequence.

"I am still amazed by the transformation that you have undergone since we came home to rescue the Chancellor."

Anakin stopped in mid-motion as he came to a realization, "Master, Dooku had become a Sith, correct?"

"Yes, if what he told me can be trusted."

"And there is a Sith in control of the Senate," he said.

"Quite possibly."

"We've been set up, Master."

"What do you mean?"

"There are only two Sith, correct?"

"Yes, and with Dooku dead so recently, there is only one."

"If Dooku, working on Darth Sidious's orders, was running the CIS, and we fear that Palpatine is being manipulated by a Sith, if there is only supposed to be one, then the Sith is pulling the strings on both sides."

"Observant of you."

"I don't like this."

"I don't either. We will discuss it with the Council when they get here."

Anakin bowed his head. "Yes, Master," he said, and he started the sequence, thinking about what he needed to say about each thing as he waited.

* * *

Palpatine was pleased that Anakin had begun to take up his duties in full. The first week or so had been primarily adjustment, apparently. He was almost gleeful that Anakin had contacted him, had asked for this meeting to report the Council's decision as to what strategy to use in attempting to stop the war. He would make suggestions, of course, but he didn't really expect the Council to take them at this point.

The troubling Master of his wayward charge had found her and rescued her. Fortunately, he hadn't had time to do much of anything to her, not that he would have, considering her presence in the Force had not done more than waiver from the light side. It upset him slightly, and showed that he wasn't fully in charge of the Force around Coruscant, but considering the number of Jedi there, he wasn't surprised. There was ebb and flow with this as there was in most things natural.

Anakin walked in, interrupting his thoughts, and he smiled at the boy. Anakin gave him a wan smile. He tilted his head. "What is wrong, my young friend?"

"The Council doesn't trust me," he said dejectedly.

"What is it now?"

"Well, the strategy that they are planning on employing, it's just wrong, and I tried to explain to them why it wasn't going to work, and they pretty much ignored me."

"Well, why don't you show me this strategy of theirs and maybe we can come up with something together that they will listen to."

"Yes, sir," he said, and, setting a holoprojector on Palpatine's desk, he began to explain what the Council was planning to do, and why they shouldn't do it. Palpatine made a few suggestions, putting people he wanted eliminated into vulnerable positions. Anakin's grateful smile gratified him. He was surprised that the Council was doing things that were so…off, but he trusted what Anakin was saying to him, taking careful note of what changes Palpatine thought were best.

* * *

Mace Windu was intrigued by Skywalker's methods. First, since he had been presented the idea that since the Chancellor was working with the Sith, either voluntary or not, he thought that the Chancellor would be directing things in a manner beneficial to the Sith. Then he set about trying to find a reasonable way to present the Council's current strategy to the Chancellor. Now, knowing the changes that the Chancellor wanted, he was presenting the finalized strategy for the next month.

It was a strategy that was not approved of by the Chancellor, but it was a strategy that would likely save the lives of several Jedi. He listened as Skywalker began to make the presentation; it was the second time he'd listened to Skywalker speak on the subject of strategy today, and he wondered why they hadn't been using his considerable ability in this direction before. "The first thing that the Chancellor suggested was that we send out Master Kenobi alone with his division to Utapau. He told me that he'd heard rumors that General Grievous had holed up there. While I don't doubt the validity of that statement, I would like to go with him. General Grievous is dangerous and we work well as a team."

"Helpless Master Kenobi is not," Yoda said with a small amount of reprimand in his tone.

"I understand, and I believe Master Kenobi perfectly capable of bringing General Grievous down, but I believe that the results would be more assured if he had help. Perhaps we could even capture him."

"Think on this we will."

"Yes, Master," Skywalker said with a bow toward the Grand Master. "Next on his agenda was the reclamation of Garqi. He suggested taking Traavis away from there, but not his troops, and replacing him with Master Coleman Kcaj. His reasoning was that a more experienced Jedi on the ground would get the cleanup done faster and once that was done, free up our people to do other things."

"That makes no sense," Master Kcaj said. "I haven't worked with those clones. I haven't worked with those people on that planet, either. I don't see the sense in the suggestion."

"From the standpoint of the Sith, reassigning Traavis away from the clones that know him makes him more vulnerable. Assigning them a new Jedi makes them more vulnerable, as well. It will be easier for him to ensure that one or both of these individuals would be killed."

"Well, when you put it that way," Master Kcaj said thoughtfully, and contemplated what they could do to further thwart the Sith.

And on it went. Point, counterpoint, and discussion, additions to complements that seemed vulnerable, withdrawing totally from positions that seemed indefensible, though carefully. He was mindful of what had been done on Jabiim and he only suggested withdrawal after carefully considered language telling the rest of the Council exactly how untenable the position was.

It was, all in all, a very well put together presentation that one would expect from someone who truly deserved to be on the Council. Whether he would continue to have such a mature outlook remained to be seen. Something had changed; Obi-Wan had done something very good in taking care of this situation. Mace relaxed. Whatever it was that Obi-Wan had done, it seemed to be helping tremendously in regards to Skywalker's temperament. He seemed like the confident young man that Qui-Gon had seen inside the frightened little boy that he'd brought before the Council all those years ago.


	25. Back into the Fray

**AN: The muse is a fickle creature.**

* * *

Master Yoda was not particularly surprised at Anakin's request to speak with him. He knew that events were flowing around the young Skywalker in ways that made him very important to the galaxy.

"Master Yoda," he said very respectfully.

"Many topics we could discuss. For which do you come?"

"I wish to discuss the Jedi Code."

"An appropriate topic that is not. Discuss that in full Council we will, in the near future."

"Not that, Master. As the code is currently interpreted, I have done something that violates it."

Yoda harrumphed. "Unusual that is not. If every time against the most strict interpretation of the code you went came to me to discuss it, nothing else you would do."

"Well, then perhaps this particular breech won't shock you as much as it did Master Obi-Wan."

"If discussed this with Master Obi-Wan already you have, why do you come to me?"

"Well, it is rather involved," he said, and sighed. "I have someone I would like you to meet."

Yoda nodded sagely, and followed Anakin to the Temple's Guesthouses in his hoverchair without further comment. He entered, and though he knew quite a bit about what was going on with the young Jedi, it was in his best interest to pretend that he didn't. Anakin was more comfortable with the idea of revealing than admitting, and telling him that he didn't have to would only make it worse.

"Good afternoon, Master Yoda," Senator Amidala said.

"Met the good Senator I already have, young Skywalker," he teased.

Anakin took a deep breath. "I realize that this will probably get me kicked out of the order if it is generally known, but Master Obi-Wan thinks I need to tell you," he said, and Yoda waited. "Padmé is more than just my friend, she is my wife."

Yoda nodded. It had not been something he'd seen specifically, but considering how tightly her fate was intertwined with Anakin's, he wasn't particularly surprised. "More, there is, I sense."

"Yes, Master," he said, looking around for a moment. "I'll be right back."

"Master Yoda," the Senator started.

"An apology I sense, and necessary it is not. Discovering, I am, that one way alone to be a Jedi there is not."

"Do you mean that?"

"Mean it I do, though pains me to say that many there will be who will not agree."

Anakin came back into the room at that point, carrying two small bundles in his arms. He carefully shuffled one of them to Senator Amidala, and the other he fussed with for a moment then presented it to Master Yoda.

He examined the small bundle for a moment, finding it to be a very young human child. He touched the Force around the…boy, and found it to be surprisingly strong. "This is my son, Luke," Anakin said as Yoda looked up at him.

A number of things fell into place then. "Strong is younger Skywalker with the Force."

"Yes, and his sister is strong as well," Anakin said, and Yoda moved over to where Senator Amidala was holding the other baby. "Leia, our daughter."

Yoda found that she was equally strong, but he sensed reluctance in her, and in her father as well. "Not to be trained at the Temple, you wish for these two," he surmised.

"No, but if they choose to become Jedi, we wish that for them, either or both of them."

Yoda nodded. There was much sense in what Anakin said, and much sense in letting the twins, who were strongly bonded to each other, stay together. It would be very detrimental to both of them to be split up, and he was sure that their parents wouldn't take to well to it, either. "A liability this is for you," he said, looking up at Anakin.

"In what way?" he asked. No, this was definitely not the Anakin of even a month ago.

"Young and vulnerable they are. Care deeply about them, you do," Yoda said, testing Anakin's reactions to his words. "And were something to happen to them, a need to avenge them you would feel."

Anakin's response was slow in coming, and Yoda felt that was from the idea that he'd found the whole notion repugnant. "I can't say as to what my actions would be if someone hurt my children."

"An honest response," Yoda said, "Agree with your decisions I do not, but the Chosen One I am not. Capable you are of things that most Jedi, even me, cannot accomplish. A great capacity for caring you have, and that is as much your strength as it is your weakness. They are your strength, and protect them you should, carefully."

Anakin swallowed hard, and Yoda could see how much Anakin had feared his reaction—not for himself, or for his children, but for the Order, and his place in it. "What are you saying, Master?"

"Condone I cannot the way that your children arrived in this galaxy, but they are here, and a valuable resource to the Temple they are, should they decide to be trained, though a great liability they are to you, until they are able to defend themselves. Few things could be theas great a double-edged sword as a Jedi's children could. Envy you I do not."

A shudder ran through Anakin's body, relief. "I can imagine not," he said with a half smile.

"Much work we have to do, and short our time is to do it," Yoda said, turning his chair around. "Your Master is waiting for you," he said over his shoulder to Anakin.

* * *

Palpatine thought for a while as he sat in his office, his face placid as he listened to yet another set of petitions about something he cared little about. He had formed his opinion from the brief that they had submitted, but he let them prattle on and waited until they were finished to render his opinion. He had paid as much attention to them as he thought they deserved. While he was thinking, he came to a decision that both due to his long absence from the capital and, apparently more-than-proper interest from his Master, Anakin had broken away from his considerable influence.

He frowned as the petitioners finished their presentation. "I am terribly sorry, but I don't see any way that this is possible at this point. Perhaps after the war has concluded, but right now, I cannot condone this, as I told you before you came here. I would like to do it, but the government's budget is too strained."

The beings in front of him nodded, and he waited until they were out of the door before he commed his personal assistant. "Yes, sir?"

"I don't want to be disturbed for the next two hours."

"Yes, sir," the man said, sounding resigned. He had hour-long appointments the next two hours, which would have to be rearranged. He didn't particularly care, because Skywalker was making his life difficult.

He headed for a secret exit, and once he was safely ensconced in one of his Sith havens, he started to work on two things. First, he started assigning some of his many spy drones to watching Anakin specifically. Second, he contacted Nute Gunray.

He watched the odious—but useful—toad appear on his screen. "Lord Sidious, I was not expecting your call today," he said as he quickly assumed a properly obsequious posture.

"I know how hard it has been on you that Senator Amidala continues to thwart your plans. I have recently learned that she has moved her entire family to Coruscant," he said, with a pregnant pause, "Including her month-old twins."

The Viceroy looked positively gleeful once he got over his shock. "Yes, my Lord. What would you have me do, my Lord?"

"Indulge yourself."

* * *

Obi-Wan packed away a few extra things as he prepared to head to Utapau. He had the bag he was carrying, which would be stowed in his Eta-2, and that would be stowed aboard _The Negotiator, _which, despite the fact that he didn't think he really needed a ship, he had one, and it was, in the way of the Republic Navy, even named after him. He had nearly half a dozen additional _Venator_-class Star Destroyers, including the_ Elegance_ and the _Deadly Dance._

He hadn't quite found out which of the other transports he would take, and he left in a few hours' time, but he felt that it would be fine. Of greater concern to him was Anakin wanting to go, and being torn between wanting to stay where he was within easy reach of Padmé and the twins.

"Anakin, I can handle this. Grievous will be difficult to kill, but if you feel the need to stay here, I can certainly see why."

"It's not that I feel the need to stay here, it's that…" he trailed off. He pressed against Anakin's barriers and found the emotions he was struggling with. Anakin was in the position of having just realized that if he didn't come back, Luke and Leia would grow up without him.

"You have just stumbled upon a notion called responsibility."

Anakin looked down, a slight blush spreading across his face. "I suppose you think this is funny."

"Well, I might, but it is something that we've been trying to teach you."

"You really think you'll be fine?"

"I really think I'll be fine, but I would like you to come with me, because I would enjoy the company."

* * *

Padmé settled into her Senatorial Pod, as the Senate's main session started. They were debating what to do about Naboo. Most of the human residents had gotten off, and all of the Gungans; the Gungans had gone to Ohma-D'un, for the most part, and the human refugees had scattered to the four winds.

"We know the kind of devastation that is done by this kind of weapon. I don't know that we can reclaim Naboo," one senator said, and as his pod settled back into position, Chancellor Palpatine recognized another.

"We must try. Our technology has advanced greatly since the last time someone was barbaric enough to drop fission or fusion bombs on their fellow beings. Most of the people that we've gotten off won't even have any lasting effects from the radiation poisoning. Can we not try to do the same with their environment?"

"This is diverting badly needed resources from the war effort. Perhaps once we have defeated the CIS, then we can do something about Naboo."

"The hazard represented by General Grievous cannot be underestimated. We must find him and bring him to justice."

"I recommend that we appoint a committee to oversee the rebuilding of the environment of Naboo. It's been, what, four weeks, five? It's high time that we got someone out there to take a look at it, and get started on cleanup."

"I concur, I think that this is something best left in civilian hands, anyway. We can appropriate some funding to the committee and then send them off to find someone who knows something about this."

"I am prepared to begin a vote on this, I call to defer this matter to a committee to be formed to deal with this issue."

She watched her panel light up with the question, and she pressed the 'yes' button. She sighed, knowing that it was useless, whatever she did, but she just wanted some progress, something to cling to that said her home was going to get the help it desperately needed. She didn't really expect that much would get accomplished by way of the committee, but she had a faint flicker of hope.

* * *

Leinea sighed. It had only been through the judicious use of the Force that she'd gotten Jander and herself integrated into the staff of the 500 Republica building. It was amazing that the staff was human at all, but as Jander had thought, they liked for their residents to have the 'feel' of humans around them. It wasn't terribly unusual; the staff of any building, whether droid or human was a weak point in the security of the building, and he had checked their credentials as thoroughly as it was possible for them to have been checked. Both of them had reams and reams of paper trails for him to follow, and most of it was tagged so that they could see who was looking at it. The man had hit well over ninety percent of the paper that existed on the two identities she'd set up and he'd planted.

The liner that carried the crew in for the day finally arrived at the landing pad on top of the building, that was for the exclusive use of the residents and their guests, and, three times a day, the staff liner from and to the employee parking lot a half-hour's ride away. "Ariel, you'll be with me. You're pretty enough for front desk work," an older, but still dashing gentleman told her. "I know it's biased, but we do have an image to maintain, and within the scope of that image, the beings serving the front desk should be of the comely sort for their species.

She heard the back personnel supervisor barking at Jander. "Terkin, on your feet, man. Some of the plumbing on the north side of the building is giving us trouble. I need you to see if you can chase it down, to at least within two or three apartments so that we can call the professionals in and not waste their time, and our money." Leinea was out of earshot after that, but he'd turned to another workman and started rattling off that man's assignment.

* * *

Anakin thought about what Obi-Wan had said, and he wondered at its cause. He had always felt confident in his ability to return to Padmé when he was out on the battlefield, but the twins…they didn't know him. They could feel him through the Force, and he had begun to teach them the basics that he had learned to teach younglings while he worked in the crèche. It was the one time that he felt free to care. It was sad, that notion, that he didn't feel free to care about even his own Master, but he'd felt more free to express his adoration for other beings while he was doing something most of the other Padawans saw as an incredibly harsh punishment—caring for those who could not care for themselves.

For him, it had been freedom from his normally dreary life, and time to think—which was part of the purpose. Obi-Wan had started letting him spend part of every day that they were at the Temple there by the time he was twelve, and it had helped rein in some of his wilder impulses, because he would think while he was there. He had been constantly in motion from the time he'd hit the doors to the Temple until he'd been hurt when he was fighting with Count Dooku. The enforced stillness that had been required when he had been hurt was worse than almost anything he'd endured.

He was looking into the crèche's window—it was much like the window at the nursery had been on Alderaan, and he could watch the youngest younglings while he thought. "Master Skywalker?"

He turned to see Arien next to him "Yes?"

"I wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer that Senator Amidala gave us the other day."

"Regarding?"

"The father of her children."

"And you probably shouldn't be. But she is a politician, and they are notoriously slippery when they choose to be. It is obvious that she regards her husband's anonymity with some importance."

"Why would she care whether we knew who he was?"

"Perhaps anyone knowing who it was would be dangerous. It depends on who exactly she is married to."

"Do you know who she's married to?"

"If I did, you would pester me with questions until I gave in out of frustration, therefore, I cannot possibly know."

"That makes no sense, Master Skywalker," Arien said, furrowing his brow.

"And neither does politics, young one. That is most likely the reason that Senator Amidala will not reveal to anyone who has fathered her children," he said. He looked down at the boy, and sighed. "Put yourself in her position. She's married to someone who, if their relationship were revealed, would cause a political firestorm, and quite possibly reap negative consequences personally for both of them, for whatever reason. First, that would detract from the War effort. Second, that could ruin the sway that she has over quite a number of Senators. She holds a great deal of respect in the Senate, and that is a delicate situation right now, to say the least. Third, she is a private citizen, and so is he, and if she chooses to keep that relationship out of the public eye, that is within her rights, and we should not impinge upon those rights for the sake of curiosity."

He tilted his head, considering. "You are right, Master. I think that I should apologize to her."

"She might appreciate that," Anakin agreed, and he came to a decision finally. He would accompany Obi-Wan, because he knew that it was the right thing to do. He was going to have to learn to be more cautious, but leaving something undone because he might fail was beneath him. "Come on, I've got to go talk to her anyway."

"Why?"

"I'm going with Master Kenobi to Utapau, and I want to say goodbye."

"It is normal for you to visit the Senator and tell her about your missions?"

"We have been friends for a very long time. I was nine and she was fourteen when we met."

"When you first came to the Temple?"

"Yes," he said, "I've been a hero to the Naboo since then as well."

"A Jedi does not seek accolades."

Anakin smiled, and said, "No, but I wasn't even a Jedi at the time, and I did not seek the accolades; I simply did what I needed to do to defend the planet."

"What was that?"

"I was told to stay in a fighter, but as I am a very curious person, I started pushing buttons. I was only nine and I hadn't been inside a fighter before. It was programmed with an autopilot sequence that took it into a space battle along with the other fighters that were in that squadron. I was lucky that Artoo had gotten into the fighter with me; I'm not sure I would have been able to disengage the autopilot without him. Once he'd done that, we were in space, and somehow I ended up actually on the droid control ship. I was trying to get off when I fired some missiles, which hit the reactor core of the ship, but I was able to, after that, get off before it blew up."

"And the droid control ship went down, causing all the droids to shut down. I can see how they would get hero out of that," Arien said.

Anakin grimaced. "Yes, and out of every other thing I do. I sometimes wonder how I survive myself," Anakin said, and he rounded the corner to where the Temple's large selection of speeders was held.

"Come on," he said, vaulting himself over the side of one of the speeders. "Get in, and you can see why Master Obi-Wan refuses to ride in the same speeder with me."


	26. General Grievous

**AN: Monster delays with this chapter. But finally it is ready. If you are keeping up with my Shadows series, the rewrites for Mara's parts are done, and thus I will be working on chapter 11 there. As many of you probably know I write with Yoda1976. He just finally got through another chapter of "Changes on the Hellmouth." We are working on Assimilation and whatever strikes my fancy for that day on mine. **

* * *

"Anakin," Obi-Wan sounded frustrated, and even looked frustrated as Anakin glanced over at him in the cockpit of his fighter, and he sighed mentally.

"I am sorry, Master," he said, an old saw, but one he was used to taking great pleasure in. "But the Code will be brought back before the Council. I can feel the Living Force flowing through the words. _Harmony is my voice even in chaos_."

"I know you agree with Seranth, and to a limited extent, I can see where you are coming from, but I don't think the rest of the Council has been properly prepared to accept that this…radical departure from tradition is really what's best for the Order."

"So…they will need more time?" he asked, nodding to himself. He had expected as much when he'd encouraged the idea.

"I think it's more than that. They will need a compelling reason to change."

"That would be slightly more difficult to conveniently provide them."

Obi-Wan sighed. "We should be focusing on landing ourselves, and we can talk about fixing the problems with the Order once we have Grievous in hand."

He nodded acquiescence, and with that they flew their fighters into Utapau's soupy atmosphere without further comment. He could sense Grievous's presence, and that created both fear and excitement within him. He recited something in his head that he'd heard so many times, as an automatic reflex, 'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering, suffering leads to the dark side.'

And he realized that was part of his problem. Fear was a tool, his body's natural response to something that could get him killed, and fighting Grievous definitely fell in that category. He acknowledged that part of the fear, and it changed within him. It prepared him for the fight; it sent adrenaline racing through his system, sharpening his already-Force-enhanced senses. It didn't go hiding within a dark well inside his soul where he couldn't see it anymore, because not seeing it didn't make it go away. And in that moment light began to expose the places where he had hidden his fear, and he knew that if he took the time to truly reflect upon the state of his soul he wouldn't be any help to Obi-Wan.

He resolved to deal with it as soon as they got done with Grievous. "Anakin?" Obi-Wan questioned, having picked up on this change in him.

"It's something else we can talk about later, Master. You are right, it is high time to focus on our mission."

"Don't think I'll let you forget."

"Of course," Anakin said, and with that, they started to dive together into the atmosphere at a sharper angle.

* * *

Palpatine noted another report of nothing from his spy drones. If Anakin was on planet, he was certainly staying well hidden. The Council had reported that Master Kenobi was being given leave to investigate this sighting of Grievous "as he saw fit."

Which, of course, meant that if he happened to see fit to take Anakin, the Council didn't necessarily have to report that particular fact. It was looking more and more like he'd done so, and Palpatine didn't like being kept in the dark as to where the man he hoped to make his Apprentice was. It made him more edgy around the Council, and more ready to destroy them, but he couldn't, not yet. There were a number of their members that he could see as potential students, but they all paled in comparison to Skywalker. He was the grand prize. If he were to turn, or if Palpatine could get his hands on one of the children, then all would be well, but it would take work and skill.

It didn't matter what it took, so long as it got the job done. The problem currently was that if Skywalker and Kenobi were both going up against Grievous, Grievous would lose. It would have been close with just Kenobi, but it was the best shot he had to ensure that Kenobi was put out of commission.

* * *

Viceroy Nute Gunray watched as the old ship, something common and not indicative of one of the primary leaders of the CIS, exited hyperspace near Coruscant. With what Lord Sidious had told them, it might be possible to capture one of the main people who was so outstandingly against everything that the CIS stood for. She also happened to be for peace, but she wasn't above fighting, even getting into the fray herself on occasion, especially if there were Jedi about. If the Viceroy had been a betting man, he would have bet she had something to prove. It would take them the better part of a day to land on the planet, with Coruscant being the center of the known galaxy.

He settled in to the room he had set aside for his office; it had originally been cargo space, but for this trip, it had been generously appointed for his use. He did small things, leaving a message for Lord Sidious that he was in system, checking his own messages, making sure that things were still running smoothly at the CIS base of operations as well as on Neimoidia.

"My lord," the pilot said from the door. "We are about to enter the atmosphere so that we can land. I am sorry but you will need to be secured in the main hold."

"Thank you," he said. Time had gotten away from him a little bit, but it was also earlier than he'd expected it to be.

* * *

Jander was in Senator Amidala's apartment. He'd searched several others in the area, ostensibly to find a peculiar electrical problem that the droids were having trouble tracing. He knew what it was, and as soon as he'd finished this search, he would go on to the last apartment, and 'find' the problem. The droids would fix it, and he'd be off for the day. But first he had to search for signs that Amidala was linked to Anakin Skywalker. There weren't many holos in the front rooms. In fact, there was little of personal value in any of the public rooms at all.

He slipped into the bedroom as the diagnostic computer he was tending spent ten minutes checking the focus cooker in the kitchen. He pulled out drawers and examined their contents without disturbing them much. He really wouldn't have time to put things back if he were interrupted. Fortunately, that would be unlikely. There were the usual female undergarments in most of the drawers he pulled open, but there was one drawer that was empty, except for a pair of pants that looked much too long for the petite Senator.

In fact, they were just about the right length for himself, at a meter-eighty. Perhaps even a tiny bit long for him, but he wouldn't have minded that. He did know that Anakin Skywalker was taller than he—a meter-eighty-five. His physical statistics were not hard to find. Perhaps she kept sleeping pants for him, for when their trysts tired him too much for him to go home to the Temple. Perhaps he slept there whenever he was on Coruscant, though that couldn't be much of late.

Jander put the pants back into their drawer, and went back into the kitchen, glancing at the report on the display. The unit had not been used in nearly two months. He frowned at that, wondering how that would coincide with the birth of the Skywalker child. It couldn't be too old, considering the Senator was still actively involved in politics. He would have to tell Leinea.

* * *

Obi-Wan sensed something slightly off as they approached the landing area. "Be cautious my young friend," he said to Anakin as they entered their final approach.

"Yes, Master."

They landed the fighters, and ground crews scrambled to the fighters, and ladders appeared even before their canopies were up. "Well, that was the easy part," Obi-Wan quipped, then he removed his headset, and Anakin did the same. They were out of the ships quickly enough, and were greeted by a Pau'an, his grey, lined skin pale even by the standards of his species. "Welcome to our port, young Jedi," he said, addressing both of them. A small signal to Anakin, and a slight nod in return, and Obi-Wan took the lead.

"Thank you," he said with a bow.

"If I might ask what brings you to our remote sanctuary?" the being asked.

"Unfortunately, the war."

The Port Administrator seemed slightly taken back by that. "There is no war here unless you've brought it with you," he said, eyeing Anakin.

"With your permission, my associate here," he indicated Anakin, "And I would like to use your city as a base to search nearby systems for General Grievous, and to get some fuel for our ships."

He leaned in close to Obi-Wan. "He is here! We are being held hostage. They are watching us."

"We understand," Obi-Wan said.

"The tenth level, there are thousands of Battle Droids."

"Tell your people to take shelter. If you have warriors, now is the time."

He nodded and left, and Anakin walked over as Obi-Wan headed deeper into the building. "Artoo," Anakin called.

"You and Geenine take the fighters back to Cody and tell him we've made contact."

Artoo beeped a question at Anakin. "Of course we are staying here. We need to keep Grievous from escaping."

Artoo wheeled off, beeping to himself, probably about the illogical ideas humans had. "Do you think it will work?"

"Depends on how closely we were being watched."

* * *

General Grievous bowed before the holographic imager as he turned it on. "Yes, Lord Sidious?"

"General Grievous. The end of the war is upon us, I think."

"There is someone coming," Grievous surmised the reason for Sidious's contact.

"Yes. Jedi will be on planet soon. I do not know specifics of their tactics. General Kenobi is going, and he may have brought others. Kill him if you can. Do not worry about anyone else, even Skywalker."

"Yes, my lord. It will be as you command."

"Good," Sidious said, and then the imager shut down of its own accord. He thought about what would need done, and decided that the Separatists needed to be moved first, then he could see about extra security in the port area, and if there was time after that, begin preparations on his battle plans.

He strode out of the room, down to where the Separatists would be meeting. "You must not stay here for any longer," he told them.

"Why not? We demand an explanation."

"It will not be long before the armies of the Republic track us here. I am sending you to the Mustafar system in the Outer Rim. It is a volcanic planet. You will be safe there."

"Safe? Harumph. Chancellor Palpatine escaped you, General. Without Count Dooku, I have doubts about your ability to keep us safe."

"It was never intended that we keep Chancellor Palpatine indefinitely. Your ship is waiting," he said dismissively, and strode off to see about the preparations he would need to make when he heard a familiar voice, "Hello there."

He turned around, disbelieving for a split second, but he recalled the conversation he'd just had with Sidious. Seemed his information was right. "General Kenobi. You are a bold one. Kill him," he said to the guards. They advanced on Kenobi, but the Jedi had other ideas. He released a piece of equipment that had been held in place above where the guards were stepping, and it crushed them. One managed to escape to the point of trying to grab its staff, but Kenobi easily cut it in two. "Back away," he said to the other droids. He didn't want to lose more than he had to. "I will deal with this Jedi slime myself."

"Your move," Kenobi conceded.

"You fool, I've been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku," he said, flourishing his cape and pulling out four lightsabers. "Attack, Kenobi."

"I think not," Kenobi said, and brushed a finger against his nose. Skywalker dropped from somewhere above to join them. "You see how much easier things go when you follow my lead?"

"Yes, Master," Skywalker said, "Shall we kill him now, Master?"

"Yes, I believe that is the next order of business."

* * *

Padmé was amazed sometimes how fate could change at a whim; the house they'd purchased at a real steal had twelve bedrooms, as many 'freshers and the most gorgeous formal areas. It had been on the market for two hours before she'd gotten a chance to see it, and she decided immediately that she loved it. The deal had been closed less than 24 hours later, and now they were moving in.

"Padmé, when is the security system being installed?" her mother asked, and she looked down from the arches that grew to a point on the ceiling, from which a giant of a chandelier hung.

"In the morning. It should be fine, Mom, the property hasn't even been registered as being on the market, I don't think. Coruscant's officials try to keep up, but they are always behind on their paperwork; it is the nature of paperwork."

"This house is so large, it seems so extravagant a purchase now."

"It was very low priced, actually," she informed her mother, "And who knows, we may fill the space."

Jobal just shook her head, taking the bag of clothes that she had brought from Naboo up the stairs to the wing to the left; the wing to the right was currently closed off, as they didn't need the space for the family. Jobal and Ruwee were next to the nursery, while Padmé's room was on the far end to the other side of the nursery. On the other side of Jobal and Ruwee was Sola and Dared's room, and then the girls were in the two rooms closest to the stairs, sharing a 'fresher between them. The other wing was set up in the same way, and there were two additional 'freshers on the main floor. Both of those were so ornate as to be toeing the line of gaudy, but managed to be elegant instead.

"Aunt Padmé, Aunt Padmé," Pooja and Ryoo skidded to a halt a few feet from her.

"Yes?"

"This house is wizard! It's so huge!" Pooja said.

"And there are ten conservators in the kitchen!" Ryoo informed her.

"I know. This house is built to have parties in."

"Are we going back to school soon?" Pooja asked.

"Soon. I'm sure your parents will have thought about that."

"Aw!" the girls chorused before deciding that more exploration was in order.

Dared came down the stairway at that moment. "The cribs are set up, Padmé, all that is left in the car is Sola and the twins."

"Well, let's get poor Sola out of the car, I'm sure she's dying to see this place," she told him with a smile.

* * *

Cody closed his communicator. "Let's go. Commander Skywalker just confirmed contact with Grievous." The assault ships began their entry of the atmosphere turning to where Kenobi and Skywalker were. The first fifteen minutes of the assault was more like a training exercise to Cody than an actual battle. No anti-aircraft barrages came their way and the skies above Utapau were eerily clear of enemy fighter droids.

Then without warning, all hell broke loose as Vulture droids appeared seemingly out of nowhere and began attempting to shoot down the Republic assault craft. The escort wing of ARC-170's and the assault craft's own weapons stymied the droid's efforts, Cody's own ship took down three Vultures in quick order. Oddball's pilots were doing their jobs perfectly, but even then they were paying a terrible price.

"We need to get through this as quickly as possible! Take us down to near ground level, those Vultures will have a harder time stopping us that low. Comm officer, tell the ARC-170's to keep those damned Vultures busy and up there!" Cody said, planning on using the Vultures lack of atmospheric flight programming against them, at least he hoped the Seps hadn't updated these Vultures. If they had it was going to be a very long day for him and his brothers.

The assault ships dove through the clouds as quickly as they dare, while Oddball's ARC-170's kept the Vulture's occupied, or rather most of them. Unfortunately for the clones, they were terribly outnumbered in the air and at least one hundred of the ugly fighter droids followed the assault craft down to the deck. The Vultures were faster in the dive then the assault craft were and in spite of being surprised by the maneuver they quickly made up the lost range and began firing on Cody's landing force. Within seconds four of the assault craft exploded as missiles hit them. The rear gunners fired back at the droids with deliberate care and in quick succession a third of the offending fighters became so much plasma.

Another wave of missiles came into the assault crafts formation, distracting the fire from the rear gunners, of the sixty incoming missiles, only twenty made it past them and another ten were drawn off by EW packs the assault craft dropped. That left ten missiles targeting five of the assault craft. The missiles impacted destroying three of the group outright, one was damaged and went down, exploding when it hit the surface of the planet, the fifth one slowed and was caught in the fire of its brothers. It soon exploded in a fireball, the debris taking out a few of the pursuing Vulture droids.

They were now approaching the location General Kenobi and Commander Skywalker had landed at just as Oddball and the survivors of his wing came down and cleaned up the remaining Vultures leaving them a clean path to the LZ. The landing craft entered the pit that served as the home of the inhabitants of this world. Cody made a hand signal and all the troopers in his squad hooked up, he made another gesture and they rappelled down into the hanger shooting droids as they came in…by Kamino, there were a lot of clankers down there.

The troopers all rappelled from the landing ships at the same time when Cody gave the signal; General Kenobi and Commander Skywalker were engaged with Grevious, Cody turned away from that scene and focused on the battle he had to fight, landing in the landing bay, the droids were already moving into position and his brothers had begun to fall. Yet the clones were giving better than they were getting, destroying on average five droids for every one trooper to fall.

Cody charged forward and had to jump back as something fell from the catwalk above. He registered the fact that what nearly hit him was Grevious' head. Then nearby the rest of his body crashed down. The Jedi seemed to have accomplished their mission, and then they came down from the catwalk.

"Impeccable timing as always, Cody," General Kenobi said.

"Thank you, sir. We've taken this landing platform, we'll soon have the heavy weapons here and the clankers will be so much scrap."

"Good, let's get on with winning this battle!" Kenobi said and the three of them headed to the front. The Jedi were very good about that, leading from the front. Most of them did it, and only the Jedi no one expected it of lead from the rear, such as Master Yoda. The hours of combat bled into each other as it so often did, even though Cody knew exactly what the status of the battle was. In short, they were winning, but not as handily as Cody would like. Losses were steep. The battalion of destroyer droids had shredded Bravo Company of the third division and held up the left flank's advancement for twenty minutes. The clankers hadn't wasted those twenty minutes either. They had deployed defense turrets and explosive mines along both axis of advance Charlie Company had hit those, worse than the losses from the mines was the damage done, the mines had taken down a building and now they were clearing the remains from the road. They were almost through and Commander Skywalker was getting impatient.

"This is ridiculous! What are those droids doing, piling more rubble behind it?"

"I'm sure they would if they had it. Calm down Anakin, we'll get through soon enough," General Kenobi said.

"With all do respect, General, I agree with the Commander. This is taking too long and there's no telling what other surprises the clankers are setting up for us while we are stuck."

"It is of concern, true," Kenobi rubbed his beard thoughtfully, "Maybe I can do something about that."

"What do you mean, Obi-Wan?" Commander Skywalker asked.

"One person might get past their scouts and do some…preventive maintenance on their defenses."

"Excellent idea, now who goes?" Cody asked.

"Easy, I do," both Skywalker and Kenobi said at the exact same moment.

Kenobi turned to Skywalker, putting his hand on Skywalker's shoulder, forcing him to at least face him, if not necessarily look him in the eye. "No, Anakin. I'm best suited to this. You stay here and be ready to save me when I get into trouble."

Skywalker sighed, and for a second he thought the Commander was going to argue, as he had so often before. Cody hated that trait of the Commander, it was bad for morale, instead the clone was surprised to hear, "Alright, Obi-Wan, but don't you DARE get yourself killed."

"By your command, MASTER Skywalker," Kenobi said as he performed a mock bow before the younger Jedi.

"Yeah, yeah…make fun of me."

"I'll be careful, Anakin," Obi-Wan said more seriously and was gone.

Skywalker returned his attention to the bank of monitors for a short time, but he got anxious quickly. "I'm going to check on the progress on the road, I'll be back."

"Very well, sir," Cody said, remembering belatedly that the Council had given Skywalker some time to get himself together—it had apparently been productive, but this was his first mission in over a month. He dismissed the thought for later consideration, and returned his focus to his task.

* * *

Uqa do Amat was not happy. Chancellor Palpatine had personally asked him to head up the Committee on the Reconstruction of Naboo. He didn't need the headache, but he had to admit that the Chancellor's request had a certain amount of merit. Senator Amidala would not be as objective as someone from the outside, and being from Umgul made him affected by the tragedy on Naboo, but enough removed that he could be reasonable. At least he could be reasonable, unlike some of the Ugnaughts who shared his planet. Though Humans had their share of unreasonable beings.

He sympathized with the Senator of Naboo, but he understood the Chancellor's position. She was too close to the issue. He had all day the day before and all of today to think on his assignment, and now, in after hours meetings, he was getting ready to meet with the members of his committee for the first time. He had expected Senator Amidala to find him the day before, but she hadn't. He hadn't seen her at all, which wasn't unusual, since they didn't tend to run in the same groups, but he hadn't really understood it either.

Perhaps it was for the best that she hadn't. He didn't know her well enough to predict her reaction to being left off the committee entirely. If it had been him, he would have been unspeakably angry. But he was not her. She was reputed to be as fiery tempered as her friend Anakin Skywalker, yet as cool a customer as his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

And that damned Grievous and his damned droids had bombed the planet and invaded without so much as a thought to what it would do. Without so much as a care as to how it would affect the flesh, because they were not flesh. A thought struck him. If they could get enough droids together to clean the planet, they could clean the radiation from them, and not risk living crews. Perhaps there were remaining droids from the Invasion of Naboo thirteen years prior, and they could be used. Perhaps not. He would have to ask.

He had a few minutes before he needed to be at the meeting, but he wanted to walk and think. He put the data discs he would need for the meeting in a convenient pocket, and headed out of his door only to nearly run into the lovely Senator Amidala. "Senator," he greeted her, his hands on her shoulders as he set her to rights.

"Senator Amat," she greeted him back. "I was wanting to speak with you about your thoughts on your appointment to the Committee on the Reconstruction of Naboo."

"Very well," he said, bowing in a formal way and beginning down the hall toward the conference room, "In truth, I'm a bit surprised you waited this long. I am on my way to the first meeting of the Committee."

"I had an appointment last night that would have been very difficult to reschedule, or I would have been here last night. Perhaps it is for the best, though. You have had some time to think on the seriousness of the Committee's work."

"I have," he said. "In fact, I was just thinking that we could potentially use droids to do at least some of the cleanup, allowing for less exposure to the radiation by living beings."

"An excellent idea," she agreed. "Any thought as to where those droids would come from?"

"A few. Do you know if there are any droids left from the Battle of Naboo?"

"I don't, but if you do decide to use droids, I would recommend using something other than battle droids. They are not as useful as you would think for something other than carrying around blasters."

"Really?"

"Knight Skywalker's penchant for building things and his status as a hero on Naboo allowed him to obtain several specimens of the battle droids from the Invasion. He was never successful in doing much of anything with them, so far as I know. I can ask him what would be required to convert them the next time that I see him, though I don't know when that will be."

"If you would. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Not at the moment, Senator Amat. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I would understand if you thought that I was going to be forceful because this is my home."

"Not at all. While Umgul hasn't suffered the tragedy that Naboo has, we have taken in many refugees from the disaster, so we are in many ways just as affected by Naboo's health as the Nabooains themselves."

"Do you serve out of public interest or personal, Senator?"

"Public," he answered immediately. "Though I do acknowledge that the private interest is there, that the interest of my planet is also heavily in play here. I would be remiss if I did not admit my personal interests in a project."

"So you would. Though your interest serves the same purpose as mine. Getting the Naboo people back to Naboo is the primary concern of this committee, is it not?"

"Well, that will be something that is discussed, but I believe that is the general idea. I also realize how much government interference can cause harm. I will endeavor to see that this committee stays out of the way of relief organizations and such as much as possible."

"Thank you again, Senator," she said as he stopped.

"You are quite welcome," he said, and she took his hand for a brief moment, and her smile shone like Coruscant's sun. In that moment, he understood what it was that people saw in her and why they insisted that she was one of the most beautiful women in the galaxy.

"I will leave you to your work. There is a great deal that needs to be done before Naboo will be habitable again, let alone restored to her former glory," she said, and just like that she was gone.


	27. Missing

**AN: I am, sadly, starting to see the final stretch with this story. But that's also a happy thing, because it will also then be finished, and will be my second finished project. I will probably not be working on a sequel to this, but you never know. **

**Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter, especially Leona who pointed out formatting issues that should be fixed now with last chapter. Changes to the Code have been pushed aside for the moment, as I'm sure you'll understand. **

**Enough! On with the Chapter!**

* * *

Obi-Wan had decided to let Anakin do most of the talking as they gave their report to the Council. It would be good practice, since he would need to give a similar report to the Chancellor later that day. "We approached the planet alone, leaving the Clones in orbit. They came in after we confirmed that Grievous was on the planet. The locals were very cooperative, apparently Grievous wasn't being a very good house guest."

"I'm sure he wasn't," Master Windu said dryly.

"The Seps had three battalions of troops on the surface, and full anti-air support according to Commander Cody's after-action report. We sent our astromechs back to the ship to inform the 212th that contact with Grievous had been made and to start the invasion.

"Then we began our search for Grievous, by the time we had arrived, the other Seperatist leaders had left for an unknown destination, but interviews with the locals after the battle indicated that they had been present."

"Know the destination of the Separatist Leadership did they?" Master Yoda asked.

"Unfortunately not, Master and no records were left to tell us where they might have gone," Anakin said.

"Continue."

"We found Grievous in the hanger of a Trade Federation ship, Obi Wan engaged him first at ground level and once they were fully engaged I dropped down from above. The fight was short and Grievous will trouble us no more."

* * *

Leinea was wary about what Jander had found. "You're sure?"

"The senator just bought a big house. And they were bundling in two babies, but there's no record of her or her sister being pregnant, and the parents only have the two girls."

"A lot of stuff was lost with the bombing of Naboo, maybe it was just not something reported outside of Naboo."

"So what do you think we should do?" Leinea asked, "Kidnap them out of their home, just in case they are Skywalker's spawn?"

"Don't you think that is logical?"

She nodded. "I just hope you are suggesting this for the right reasons, not because you see another skirt you can chase."

Anakin sighed after hours of grueling reports and details of the battles to the Council. He was in his quarters, finally, and about to head down to the Guest Houses. But before that happened, he wanted a shower and to change out of formal robes. But he wanted to rest, relax a moment first.

Unfortunately for him, as most things in his life, that wasn't going to happen. As soon as he sat on the sofa in his common room, a chime came from his door. "Forget something Obi-Wan?" he asked aloud, though there was no one to hear him, as he got up to answer the door. It wasn't Obi-Wan at the door, but Arien Ketor. "Hello," he said.

"I was wondering something, Master Skywalker."

He sighed. "Come in," he said, deciding that his going home would be slightly delayed. He sat back down on the sofa and waved a hand to indicate that Arien could sit as well.

"I know that the idea of taking on a Padawan must be a difficult one."

"I've never had to make it."

"What about Ahsoka Tano?"

He winced. He didn't like thinking about Ahsoka. "A gift from the Council, I suppose you could say."

"Did you have a choice in it at all?"

"I could have sent her back, I suppose," he said, "But she was so reckless, so much like me that I could not refuse her. Perhaps that was the point, to teach me responsibility, but Ahsoka never did that for me. She challenged me to new heights of foolishness, and I her."

"Why would you do that?"

"They don't call me the Hero with no Fear for no reason, youngling. Pain, injury, they mean little to me, and I have so much power within the Force that things that even most Jedi would deem impossible are not even remotely problematic for me. The first mission I went on with Ahsoka, droidekas had surrounded me and I was actually afraid that I might be hurt. I didn't particularly think that I would die, I hadn't yet, so there was no reason to think I would this time, and I had faced worse odds. Ahsoka told me to stop where I was, and I did. She pulled a wall down around me, and I was in the right position to be in the window when it fell. How could I say no to her after that?"

Arien paled. "Will you expect that of me?"

"You are not Ahsoka. I do not expect that you will do the same things as she."

"That's a relief."

"So, what makes you think you're qualified to be my Padawan? You keep pestering me about it."

"I-I-I don't know," Arien said, caught off guard by the question.

Anakin laughed. Arien frowned. "No, I appreciate your answer, Arien. It means that you are not seeking me because of what I am, but because you are seeking someone who can teach you what you need to know to be a successful Knight."

"Does that mean that you will train me?"

Anakin sighed, sitting back, thinking. It was a big decision, but he was calm enough to feel the gentle nudging in the Force. "I suppose it does," he said after Arien had started to squirm.

He lit up like the twin suns of Tatooine. "Do you really mean it?"

"Of course. But, I must speak with the rest of the Council about it."

"Thank you, Master," Arien said. "When can I move in?"

"Move in?" Anakin was a bit stunned by the normalcy of the question. Arien looked crestfallen. "It's not you, it's just that I don't think that Ahsoka and I were home more than a week in total the whole time that I was training her. I didn't really think about that aspect of training."

"So, when?" Arien asked.

"When the Council approves your Padawanship," Anakin answered, then got up, wanting his shower before he went down to the guest houses. "I suggest that you go back to bed. You have an early day tomorrow."

"Yes, Master Skywalker," Arien said, and left.

Padmé walked into her new home, and did a double take, and then screamed. "Please, do not be alarmed, or at least not surprised. The Confederacy has spies everywhere, and you have made it easy to find where you are."

She closed her mouth, staring, wide-eyed as Nute Gunray was pointing a blaster at her younger niece. "You cannot do this, Viceroy Gunray. Release her now," she said, her voice retreating to her Queen-voice, devoid of emotion, accent, anything.

"But I already have," he told her. "We have an appointment to keep, so unless you want to see me shoot her, you will exit the building, and go to landing pad 377-A."

Her parents were being held at blaster point as well, and her sister and brother-in-law, and Ryoo. Suspiciously absent were Luke and Leia, but she also knew that Anakin had landed today. Perhaps he had taken them with him. She prayed to the Force that he had, and looked ahead, trying to believe that that was where they were, because if it wasn't, she feared what Anakin would do on finding them alone, or worse, dead.

Anakin had just finished dressing when a wave of fear coming from Padmé hit him. He felt out to the twins, and they were further away than he expected, and Padmé, too. Most confusing was that they were off in different directions. He picked up his comlink, directing it to contact Obi-Wan. "Something's wrong," he said after his Master greeted him.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, meet me down in the hanger."

"I'll be there momentarily," Obi-Wan said, and he was already in the turbolift by that point. He drew the Force into himself. He'd barely had time to breathe since they'd landed. Four hours to sleep, a long meticulous Council meeting, reporting to the Chancellor, and then reporting the Chancellor's actions in response to the Council.

He reminded his body that he needed to be able to breathe to be able to think. He let the Force help him calm himself. By the time the turbolift's doors opened, he was not panicking anymore. He walked calmly to the hanger bay, knowing that Padmé and the twins wouldn't be at the house she'd just bought, but hoping he could pick up clues as to where they were. He chose a fast speeder and waited for Obi-Wan to join him, which was a short time and forever in his mind.

"What is going on?" he asked as Anakin took the speeder out of the Temple's hanger.

"Padmé is afraid, and the twins are separated from her, and I'm not sure what's going on, but I need to investigate."

"Can you give me any more detail than that?"

Anakin shook his head and they flew the rest of the twenty minute flight to Padmé's house in silence.

When they got there, the door opened for him, and he flipped the light on. "Jobal? Sola?" he called out, not sensing any presences, but hoping that someone was there, but there was no answer. He took the stairs two at a time, checking in each of the bedrooms, but there was no one around. The window in the twins' room showed evidence of having been forced from the outside, but other than that, there was no sign of anything wrong other than their absence. After his first quick check upstairs, he went back down to the ground floor.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan called to him as he came back down.

"Here. The window in the twins' room was forced open, but there's not really any evidence of any sort of struggle or anything."

"Have you looked down here?"

"Not yet," he said. He was struggling with his emotions, but he'd been able to keep them in check so far.

"Let's see what we can find," he said. Obi-Wan, he could tell, was worried, both about what he was going to do and about what had happened to Padmé and the twins. Anakin nodded, and they headed through the house, checking the rooms and finding nothing.

"What happened?"

"I could feel Padmé's fear," he said. "I don't know what happened, but if she was afraid, there was something very wrong. Maybe they discovered the twins were missing and went out searching for them."

"Wouldn't she have contacted you first?"

"I would think," he said, and he pulled out his comlink, trying to raise his wife, but she did not answer.

"It doesn't seem she's looking for the twins."

"No. I can sense Padmé, and I can sense the twins, but they are in opposite directions."

"I know you are hesitant to speak with the Council, but perhaps it is time. We are going to at the very least need their cooperation, if not their help."

Anakin nodded. "I don't care for the idea of telling the Council now, but I know that they will be best suited to help us," Anakin said, worry coming to the forefront of his mind.

"We should call them now, I think this qualifies as an emergency."

Yoda watched as the Masters of the Council filed into the Council chamber. Anakin and Obi-Wan had gotten there before everyone else, but they were also the ones calling this meeting. He had an idea what it was about, but nothing specific, and while he'd been sensing that something was going to happen, something that was either going to temper Anakin or break him, he didn't know what, and he didn't know when. He only knew that Anakin would have to face it. Not necessarily alone, but he couldn't hide behind the Council, either. Hopefully, telling him that would prove unnecessary.

"I apologize for the lateness of the hour, my fellow Council members," Anakin said, standing in the center of the chamber instead of sitting in his chair. "I have much to tell you, and not all of it is pleasant to hear, and I'm not sure all of you will agree with everything that I have to say."

He took a deep breath, turning slowly, looking at everyone's face. "I was married to Senator Padmé Amidala at the beginning of the Clone Wars. This has been a good thing for me, providing balance and stability in my life where I felt I had none. When I returned from the Outer Rim Sieges, she told me that she was pregnant. I was overjoyed, but that shattered soon, as soon as I went to sleep. I began to dream of her death. I do not know what would have happened if Obi-Wan had not been there for me. I am only glad that he was. Padmé gave birth to twins a month ago, and they are one of the best things to have ever happened to me. I do not nor will I regret the birth of my children even if it means my expulsion from the Order."

Anakin let that sink in for a moment, reining in his emotions tightly. He did not like the thought that he would be forced to choose between the Order and his children, but should that choice be forced, he knew what he would do, and he had made peace with that. "There is a more pressing matter, though. This evening, all members of the Naberrie family including my children were taken by parties unknown. I am not certain, but I believe that the twins were taken separately from Padmé and her family. I request your assistance in finding them."

Master Yoda shifted to a more comfortable position as Anakin took his seat. Mace Windu was the first to jump in with a question. "Why are you just now coming to us with this information?"

"I was hoping to wait until the Code and ideas as to what was proper for a Jedi had changed sufficiently that I would not be expelled before revealing my family. Master Yoda was informed of this, but I am afraid we had yet to determine the proper way to inform the Council. This matter makes it urgent that we act now, and there will be plenty of time to determine what, if anything, should be done about me, once everyone is safe."

It was Master Ki-Adi-Mundi who next spoke. "I concur. We can discuss what to do about Anakin later. Right now, there is a Sith, who might possibly be behind these kidnappings, and if he is, then there is no time to waste in attempting to get Anakin's family back here where they are safe."

Anakin, surprisingly, sat quietly after that agreement. It was testament to the new-found maturity that the young Skywalker had gained with the birth of his children. The other Masters were looking at him with varying degrees of suspicion and surprise. Finally, the various members of the Council consulted the Force on this, and found, with some amount of surprise, that Anakin needed to do this. For a non-Force-sensitive, the meeting might have looked like a staring match, but for the Members of the Council, it was a puzzle, or a chess match, each of them looking at the others, determining how the others felt, and what the Force's will was on this matter.

Yoda just watched and waited. Anakin's agitation, while well-controlled at the moment, was still there, would begin to grow if nothing was said. People he cared about were in danger, and if it was possible, he wanted to be out looking for them himself. And if Yoda had anything to say about it, he would be, though he was not the only member of the Council, and his voice was no greater than any other voice. And he would not make it so that their voices went unheard. He rarely issued the Council direct mandates that they would be required to follow, and one of the reasons was that the Force spoke to each being in its own way. This would be a difficult decision, both for Anakin and for Yoda, but if Anakin wanted the Jedi Council to change, he would have to be the one to persuade them, and while Yoda supported that, as he did all the endeavors of his Jedi, the sweeping changes that Anakin seemed to be working towards even if he himself didn't see them, were not designed to make the Council comfortable. In fact, they were probably going to do just the opposite.

The Corellian Jedi had staunchly stood by the idea that family was just as important to a Jedi as any other being, and most of the rest of the Order had looked upon them as renegades who defied the Code at the drop of a hat. Yoda had always thought there was more to it than defiance, though in some Corellians that tendency could not be denied. But Anakin was much like them. He was much like Qui-Gon, following the guidance of the Force, regardless of what restrictions had been placed on his behavior by outside forces, including the Council.

He felt that most of the Masters had reached a decision as to their votes by that point, and so he said, "Quickly a decision must be made. At stake many lives are. Ready are we to decide whether to help young Skywalker on his quest?"

Murmured agreement met his ears. "What say you, Master Windu?"

"While I do not necessarily agree with the things that Knight Skywalker has done, it is clear that this has been a stabilizing influence on him. If there is any possibility at all that these children have been kidnapped by the Sith, then there is great need for the Temple to see them safe, even if they are never trained. Senator Amidala has been a great supporter of the Temple, and her disappearance will cause much strife within the Senate, and her family has suffered the loss of their home already. We have offered them our protection and have failed, as they were taken from our own Guesthouses. We cannot sit idly by and wait for something more to happen to them. All must be found, and hopefully returned safely to the Temple grounds." Yoda could feel Anakin's surprise at such an impassioned speech by Master Windu. There was surprise from some of the other Masters as well, those who had witnessed first hand some of Anakin's more temperamental moments with Master Windu.

With that support, the agreement of the Council was virtually assured, and Yoda smiled to himself. Perhaps young Skywalker would get things his way, after all.

* * *

After they returned to the small accommodations that Sidious had provided them, they were attempting to determine what to do with twin Force-sensitive infants. They had tested both of them for midi-chlorians, and both tested off the chart. "It seems like we have two potentials for him, not just one."**  
**

The blonde one of the pair blew a raspberry at her. So long as the two weren't placed more than two meters from one another and were kept clean, fed, and warm, this one didn't object to anyone's attention, even Jander's. The brunette, however, wiggled, fussed, spit up, cried, and did everything within her power to make their lives miserable, including upsetting the blonde boy. "Did Sidious make a mistake?"

"Perhaps it was a test. But both of these infants are highly Force-sensitive," he reminded her, "Off the charts."

"Then we take them both to Sidious and let him sort it out."


End file.
